


Fair Winds and Following Seas

by Kavi Leighanna (kleighanna)



Series: Years Universe [5]
Category: Criminal Minds
Genre: 2nd generation, Family, Romance, trigger warning
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-04-14
Updated: 2014-04-14
Packaged: 2018-01-19 09:47:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 27
Words: 36,890
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1464838
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kleighanna/pseuds/Kavi%20Leighanna
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Despite everything they've been through, they're there for each other and they love each other. Simply because they're family.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Gabriella Garcia-Morgan felt tears sting the back of her eyes. She'd searched every nook and cranny of her room. Every drawer had been upended over her bed and she'd pulled every hangar from her closet. Her desk was a mess of necklaces, earrings and bracelets. Her room looked like a bomb had literally exploded right in the middle...

...And she had nothing to wear.

She was starting to panic. She prided herself on having inherited impeccable fashion taste from her mother and the uncanny ability to take little things and make them beautiful. Or at least take them and make them the center of an outfit. Or build an outfit around them. Today, her touch didn't seem to be working, the one day she needed it to more than anything else.

Because today was the day she was going on her first date with Jack Hotchner.

Gabi knew she and Jack had danced around each other for years. But at the end of the day, she couldn't dwell on that. She couldn't think about the fact that their parents were probably going to flip their lids. She couldn't focus on the fact that she was about to go out on a date with her best friend's brother. Because that would destroy any and all confidence she had at the moment and it was really, the last thing she needed.

She glanced at her alarm clock again and almost screamed. Desperate times called for desperate measures. So she reached for the phone.

"Alright, alright, I'm here! What's the epic emergency?"

Gabi looked pleadingly at Anna-Joy Hotchner, her very best friend, as the dark-haired twenty-year-old dropped her purse outside Gabi's room.

"Goodness me, are you redecorating?" AJ asked.

"I have nothing to wear!" Gabi exclaimed.

AJ looked around. "Gabs, you've torn this place to shreds. How can you have nothing to wear?"

"I don't know! But I can't put anything together!"

"Okay, okay, breathe. What are we looking for?"

"A date outfit," Gabi replied promptly, running a hand through her hair.

"A first date outfit?" AJ asked as she started hanging things up again. There was absolutely no way she was going to be able to make sense of the entirety of Gabi's eclectic wardrobe with it all over the floor.

"An official first date outfit?" Gabi replied.

AJ arched an eyebrow. "Is that a question?"

Her best friend swallowed. "Well, I've known the guy forever, but it's just now that we thought it was a good idea to try the dating thing?"

That sent AJ's other eyebrow up. "You don't sound that sure, which tells me you're hiding something."

The way Gabi hesitated in answering and chewed on her lower lip gave away the fact that Gabi was definitely hiding something.

"Gabriella! What on earth are you hiding!? Who are you going on this 'official first date' with?"

Gabi continued to chew on her lip. "Promise not to kill me?"

AJ rushed to sit beside her best friend, shoving clothing off of the bed in the process. "Swear on our families, our friendship, and the bullets in Aunt Jen's gun." AJ knew if Gabi was making her swear against doing damage, AJ knew whatever Gabi was going to spill was going to be big.

"Um... Jack?"

AJ knew her jaw had dropped. "I'm sorry... Repeat that?"

Gabi sat on her hands to keep herself from folding them and unfolding them. "Jack."

"As in my older brother?" AJ asked.

Gabi nodded.

"As in the guy that has watched your every move and defended your every broken heart since you were, like, born?"

Gabi nodded.

"No way!"

"You're not helping me here," Gabi said, almost whining.

AJ turned to face her best friend. "Are you serious?"

Gabi nodded again, still chewing on her lower lip.

"But... What... When?" AJ sputtered. "How? How long? Oh my gosh! Mom's going to freak!"

"Freak?" Gabi's eyes widened.

"Oh, for Pete's sake, Gabs! You and Jack have been blind to the fact that you've adored each other for years. We were starting to lose hope. This is like... relief."

Gabi blinked. "You're okay with it? With your best friend dating your brother?"

"It explains so much!" AJ replied. "All of a sudden, I started to feel like a third wheel when we were watching movies together like we used to. Heck, the day I moved to Yale I told Mom that he was likely to move to Massachusetts just to be closer to you."

Gabi had pulled her hands from beneath her and was twisting her fingers in her lap. "What does your mom think? What does your dad think?"

"They don't matter," AJ said, waving her hand dismissively. "The question is what do your parents think of the situation?"

"I haven't told them," she admitted, dropping her head into her hands and resting her elbows on her knees. "Daddy's going to flip."

AJ snorted. "Yeah right. It's Jack. Who could take better care of his baby girl than the guy who's been doing it since you were a baby?"

Triumph spread across her face at the look in Gabi's eyes. "Way to take the pressure off."

"You could wear a paper bag and he'd think you were beautiful," AJ replied with a roll of her eyes.

Gabi wrinkled her nose. "That was corny."

"But true," AJ scoffed. "Look, it's Jack. You've done this eight hundred times without issue. Stop being nervous and just be happy that you finally have the guy you want."

Gabi still looked nervous. "This has to be different."

"No it doesn't. Look at it this way, he knows everything about you that could be potentially embarrassing or totally humiliating. You don't have to tell him those stories. He knows about all of your ex-boyfriends – he's beat up a few of them – so you know there's nothing there you have to feel awkward about."

"But he'll know if I slip up."

"And he'll laugh it off,' AJ replied, rolling her eyes. "Gabs, you're blowing this way out of proportion."

Gabi sighed as she stood, grabbing some of her clothing and setting about helping her best friend tidy. "You really find it that hard to believe that I think this is… Annie, if this doesn't work things are going to be awkward."

"Oh please. Like this is actually going to be awkward. This is Jack."

Gabi rolled her eyes. "You say that like it changes anything."

"It changes everything. There's so much more riding on this."

"There is not," AJ said in exasperation. "You've already been on dates together."

"I'm sorry?" Gabi asked.

"You guys see movies all the time. You go out to dinner together all the time. He drives to MIT to see you all the time. For all intents and purposes, you guys have been dating for years," AJ pointed out. She turned when Gabi didn't respond.

Gabi was at her desk, shuffling through her jewellery. AJ grinned. She had a pretty good idea of what Gabi had found to create an outfit around.

Gabi grinned as Jack pulled into the driveway. She'd had such a great time. It had been surprising how easy it was to go out on a date with Jack Hotchner. It felt comfortable.

Jack smiled back at her as he killed the engine. "Don't move, okay?"

Gabi knit her brow but did as he asked. She shook her head affectionately as he pulled open her door and held out his arm. "Why thank you, kind sir."

They wandered up her front walk. "So?" he asked. "Did I pass?"

"Pass what?" she asked, unable to stop her smile. She'd been smiling like an idiot since he'd shown up at her front door.

"The First Date Test," he replied.

She pursed her lips. She'd once told Jack when she was sixteen that she had a distinct first date test. "Yes," she replied haughtily. "Every criteria. But it's unfair."

"Unfair?" he asked, turning so he could sit on the top step of the porch.

"You knew the test going in," she replied, taking a seat beside him and nudging his shoulder.

"Now that's unfair. You seriously expect me to remember every criteria from when you were sixteen? I'm not that good, Monkey."

Gabi found herself blushing at the use of his nickname. He was still the only one who called her 'Monkey' and had persisted in doing so throughout the entirety of her life. "You remember everything else," she pointed out.

"Half of them on pain of death," he replied logically. "Heaven forbid I hurt Gabi Morgan."

She swung her legs over his, wrapping her legs around her thighs instead of supporting herself behind her. "Damn right. Daddy's pride and joy."

"And your mother's," Jack pointed out, one of his hands absently rubbing up and down her shin. They were both tactile individuals and now that Jack had the 'right', he was going to take advantage of touching her at every opportunity.

Gabi rolled her eyes. "As if you don't know the feeling." She knew he did. He was his mother's only child and his father's oldest. Even her Aunt Emily was immensely proud of Jack and they weren't even biologically related. Of course, her Aunt Emily was proud of what she was doing too, so really, Gabi couldn't throw stones. But he couldn't mock her either.

He was quiet for a moment before tapping his hands on her knees. "I had fun tonight."

"So did I," she replied, with a thousand watt grin that would have made her father proud. "We should do it again sometime."

He was leaning towards her and she didn't realize how quickly the distance was closing between them until his next words came out against her mouth. "I think so too."

Then she was drowning in Jack Hotchner.

At twenty-one, Gabi'd had her fair share of suitors and her fair share of kisses, but nothing in her life had prepared her for the heat that swamped her as Jack kissed her. Nothing prepared her for the hand that wrapped around her back in an attempt to pull her closer and the searing feel of his hand through her shirt. Jack was the one to eventually pull back.

"If I'd known I was going to get that kind of reaction, I would have done that ages ago," he said breathlessly.

"Well, you took forever to ask me out, so I think I can forgive you for taking too long to kiss me."

He nodded slowly, and Gabi thought for a moment he was going to kiss her again, but then he very carefully shifted her so he could stand. "Unfortunately m'lady," he said quietly. "Our night ends here."

She smiled brightly. "Well, I can deal with that if we're going to do this again."

"Most definitely," Jack agreed. He kissed her cheek. "Sleep sweet Gabs."

Gabi slid her key into the lock, looking back at him one last time before closing the door gently. Then she squealed quietly and jumped up and down, happier than she'd been in a very long time.

Louis, she thought to herself, feeling like she was talking to her imaginary friend. I think this is the beginning of a beautiful relationship.


	2. AJ - Early September

Yale University was AJ Hotchner's second home.

There was no two ways about it. She knew her parents had been nervous about her attending her mother's alma mater, but AJ had taken to it like fish to water. She absolutely adored the old buildings and architecture, and now that she shared an apartment with two of her friends, New Haven had become even more of a home to her.

She chuckled to herself at her mother's picture text of her father's latest escapades with Seth's new dog Bugs. Her father had never been a pet type of person. Loud laughter caught her attention next and she rolled her eyes in annoyance even as she looked up.

Vaughan Cliff.

He and his three cronies came stumbling into the room, tripping over each other and AJ vaguely found herself wondering if they really realized that they were in college and not in high school anymore. Here she sat, in a junior class on international law, and she'd bet everything her parents owned that something chaotic had either happened in the hall or was about to. And that there was a young, freshman victim involved.

Vaughan Cliff had been the bane of AJ's existence for years. His family ran in the same political circles as her parents and though it was rare that any of the Hotchner children attended any sort of gala, the times they did, the Cliffs were always in attendance. And AJ could count on one hand the number of times she'd walked out of said gala without wanting to rip Vaughan limb from limb. He was everything her parents had run away from, an arrogant, spoiled rich kid at one of the best universities in the country on his parents' dime. So was she, but she had an academic reputation to uphold.

He'd shown up in one of her first classes in freshman year and she'd had to deal with him every semester since. She'd hoped that she'd avoid him by taking more specialized courses, but either he had some way to look up her class schedule, or he had the same interests she did. Really, she hoped it was neither. She didn't appreciate a stalker and having anything in common with Vaughan Cliff was a terrifying thought.

She focused her attention back on her laptop, tucking her cell phone into her pocket, as the processor strolled into the room.

"Good afternoon class, welcome to a new semester here at Yale University."

She spent the next thirty-five minutes listening to the syllabus and the outline of marking and assignments before the professor moved onto his lecture. She found herself completely absorbed in the way he managed to skim over the almost century of international law in less time than she'd expected. Then he opened the floor to discussion.

That was when Vaughan had to go open his big mouth.

"Globalizations a load of crap," he said, distain obvious in his voice. "Why should a nation like America have to support nations that can't seem to get their stuff together? We have people here who work hard at what they do and if a nation isn't ready for that, then they should suffer the consequences, not lean on developed countries for support."

The professor raised a surprised eyebrow and AJ mirrored the response. "Okay, are there any other opinions?"

AJ was fuming. American elitists, those who believed only in the betterment of their own wealth without a care as to those that were suffering in poorer countries, drove her nuts. It was that anger, that passion that had her raising her hand.

"Yes...?"

"AJ," she answered, swift and polite.

"Go ahead, AJ."

"I think we need to remember that nations like America put many of those countries into those situations to begin with. Western democratic nations have been suppressing other cultures and countries for years. The British controlled huge portions of Africa until the middle of the twentieth century. And the US has supplied weapons to many of the nations ravaged by civil war. I think globalization is one way to battle against oppression of developed nations."

She could see the approval and admiration in her professor's eyes. "Excellent."

AJ sat back in her seat, comfortable that she'd made her point clear.

Take that.

"You know, there's something really hot about a woman who knows her international law."

AJ tensed at his voice and rolled her eyes. "I thought there was a mutual agreement in place where we didn't talk to each other while we were here," she replied, looking up from her book. She was in the library, trying to get a jump start on some of her reading before heading home to the chaos that was often her apartment. She adored both Aslynn and Jessica, but sometimes they grated on her last nerve. That seemed like heaven in comparison to the blue eyes that faced her now.

"Awe, come on now, cupcake! You wound me," Vaughan said, sliding into the seat across from her.

"Not yet," she replied sweetly, "But keep it up and I just might."

"Now why you gotta be like that?" he asked with a little pout.

AJ arched an eyebrow. "Dejected so does not work for you."

"Everything works for me," Vaughan replied with a cocky quirk of his lips.

"Don't you have something better to do with your time?" AJ asked in exasperation, rolling her eyes. She had work to do. Or work she wanted to do. And he wasn't being anywhere close to helpful.

"There's something better than driving you nuts? I have no idea what it is."

"Great," AJ said with a false smile. "Then you can wait here while I go back to my room to actually get some work done."

"You're so uptight," Vaughan said.

"I'm not uptight. I just value my education and the money my parents are putting into said education," AJ replied. "That leaves me with minimal time to lead the life you do."

"You've got to lighten up, Hotch. You're in college, these are supposed to be the best years of your life," Vaughan pushed. "You've got to have some fun."

"I have fun. Just not your kind of fun," AJ shot back, closing her books. Apparently she wasn't about to get anything done with him sitting there. There was a whole handful of reading she wanted to make sure to get done by the end of the week.

"You going somewhere?"

"Yeah," AJ replied with a saccharine sweet smile. "Away from you."

She didn't give him a chance to answer as she stood and walked away.


	3. AJ - Early September

She was going to rip him limb from limb. It was that simple. And it was the only thing she could think of that could solve this little – ahem – problem she currently had. The party wasn't meant to be a bash, it wasn't meant to be out of control. It was meant to be a few girls at the apartment she shared with her two best friends – Ashlynn, who had been her roommate in first year, and Jessica, whom she and Ashlynn had taken in as their third when she had nowhere to live in their second year – just celebrating the beginning of a new semester. That was it.

But some how the word had gotten out, and AJ wound her way through the huge crowd in her apartment to the massive circle of bodies surrounding one person, and one person only. And when she got her hands on Vaughan, he was going to wish he'd never heard the name 'Hotchner' again. Her grandmother loved her. She could deal with the fallout if her parents wouldn't.

"Vaughan!"

Everyone turned at the one word, yelled coldly above the music. Vaughan grinned unrepentantly at AJ's furious face.

"There you are Hotch! I thought you'd be our party pooper this evening," he said cheerfully.

AJ perched a hand on her hip. "Two things," she said, holding up the requisite number of fingers. "One: Hotch is my dad. You wouldn't walk away from a confrontation with my dad. Two: get out, and take all of your cronies with you."

"I told you that you had to lighten up. I'm just trying to do my civic duty and help," he argued with that same wide smile on his face.

"Civic duty?" she questioned, arching an elegant eyebrow. "How is ruining my apartment a civic duty?"

He held his arms out wide. "I haven't ruined a thing, except your tame little cocktail party. I knew you were classy Hotch, but really, leave the cocktail parties to the real politicians. You're in college, throw a raging keggar."

"That's your department of expertise," AJ shot back.

"Exactly!" Vaughan replied triumphantly. "Which is why I'm here! We're going to turn this boring get-together into one of the greatest house parties Yale has ever seen!"

The cheer that rose up from the surrounding students made AJ roll her eyes. She waited with surprising patience for the ruckus to calm slightly. "Great. Fantastic. Do it at your own place where you have a maid to clean up after you, not here where we're on our own."

Vaughan grinned and waved her off, snatching a cup from a nearby student's hand and holding it out to her. "Come on, Hotch. Loosen up just a little. I'll personally see to it that my maid service does all of the clean up."

"Get out Vaughan. You're parties are legendary for getting broken up by the police, and quite frankly, I don't need men in blue showing up at my door because of your idiocy," AJ replied, refusing the cup he was still holding out to her.

A knock at the door drew the attention of most of the crowd. Fights between AJ Hotchner and Vaughan Cliff were old news. AJ gasped as the door was opened to reveal an actual keg. Holy crap. That was it, she was most definitely going to wrap her arms around Vaughan's neck now. He waved the cup in front of her face.

"Come on Hotch, just a sip. Things will look up."

She glared at him as she snatched the cup from his hand. "Bite me, Cliff."

"Just say when and where, Hotch. I'd bet you're a tiger in bed."

AJ stalked off, ignoring the triumphant grin on Vaughan's face, and the heat in his eyes.

AJ woke to a pounding headache and the shrill ringing of her cell phone. She groaned as she rolled over, trying to pry her eyes open, but the light hurt worse than the ringing. She slammed her eyes closed as she absently searched for the stupid ringing device.

"Hello?"

"Good morning sunshine! You're sounding a little worse for wear this morning."

"Gabi?"

"That's me!"

"Why on earth are you so chipper this early in the morning?"

There was a pause. "Peaches, it's like noon."

AJ's eyes snapped open as she shot upright. Her head didn't appreciate that at all and neither did her stomach. She had to bolt to the bathroom, just making it in time to empty her stomach, her phone still in her hand. She curled up on the floor miserably, managing to weakly get the phone to her ear.

"You still there, Gabs?"

"I am, hon. What was that?"

AJ groaned. "I feel like giants are tap dancing in my head."

"Don't you mean on you head?"

"Both," AJ moaned.

There was a pause for a moment. "Wait a second... Anna-Joy are you hung over?"

AJ tried desperately to remember if indeed that was why her head was going to explode. She remembered Vaughan, she remembered her irritation, she remembered drinking and a keg and... "Oh my God."

"You are!" Gabi exclaimed.

"Tone it down, Gabs," AJ groaned.

"Right," Gabi said, quieter now. "Who on earth convinced you to drink? You barely drink wine at dinner and only ever have a sip of champagne on New Years!"

"Ugh," AJ replied. "You have yet to meet Vaughan Cliff. He'd make anyone, even a saint, drink."

"Wait, this is Vaughan Cliff, the bane of your existence since you hit puberty?" Gabi asked.

"Unfortunately."

"Tell me you didn't do anything stupid," Gabi pleaded. "You still have your clothes on?"

AJ did a quick mental check. Yup, including her bra and underwear. "Fully clothed," she promised.

"Okay, so we know you didn't sleep with anyone random... Wake up with strangers in your bed?"

"Nope, just me."

There was a pounding on the door, interrupting her conversation and making her wince. "AJ, is that you?"

"Go away Ash!" AJ called back pitifully. "I'd like to wallow by myself please."

"Um... there are strange people at the door. They say Vaughan sent them to clean up?"

"Then let them clean," AJ replied, only vaguely recalling a conversation with Vaughan about his maid service coming to clean up after their party.

The door clicked open and Ashlynn stepped in. "You are so hung over."

"Thanks Captain Obvious," AJ responded sarcastically.

Ashlynn didn't react. "Jess and I put you to bed, all by yourself. Then we kicked everyone else out. You were pretty hammered last night. I'm actually kind of glad Vaughan was there to take care of you. He made sure no sleezy guys came around to take advantage of your inebriated state."

"I beg your pardon?" AJ's voice now hurt her own head, but there was nothing she could do about the rise in octave.

"Whoa! She has to repeat that again," Gabi's voice floated through the phone still pressed to her ear. "The Devil did what now?"

"Yeah," Ashlynn went on, unaware of Gabi's words. "He acted like your damned protector all night. If I didn't know better I'd say the guy had a serious crush on you."

AJ groaned. "He doesn't have a crush on me," she said. "We hate each other. It's our thing."

"Huh," Ashlynn replied, cocking her head to the side. "Then he's fair game, hey?"

AJ closed her eyes and wrinkled her nose. "Why you'd want to date the guy is completely beyond me, but hey, go for it. Just don't come crying to me when he doesn't measure up."

"Consider me duly warned. I'll leave you to your nap on the bathroom floor, but I'd assume your bed would be more comfortable," Ashlynn pointed out.

"The floor's nice and cold," AJ replied petulantly. "And if I had something other than my phone to throw at you I totally would be."

"Right. I'll stay until these cleaners are gone, but then I have stuff to do. Don't stay here long, you're backlogging the bathroom and my bet is Jess is going to be worse off than you this morning. Plus, I think she had a guest."

AJ groaned again. "Then lock the damned door on your way out."

"My God, you're chipper hung over."

"Bye Ashlynn." Then she tuned back in to Gabi's laughter on the phone. "Can it, you."

"Are you kidding me? This is one of the most amusing things I've heard of in a long time! You actually got drunk. Like, don't remember the night drunk."

"So what if I did. I'm allowed."

"Of course you're allowed," Gabi agreed. "I just never thought you would."

"If you knew Vaughan, you'd see the benefit in drinking too."

"Ah yes, Vaughan. Your protector and The Devil Incarnate."

"He has multiple personalities?" AJ offered.

"Or he genuinely didn't want anything to happen to you."

"Of course he didn't, who on earth would he pick on with me gone?"

"I think you're in denial," Gabi came back, "but you're not going to listen to me anyway. Look, take some Advil or something and climb back in bed. A day of rest won't kill you."

"No," AJ agreed with a heavy sigh as she reluctantly pushed herself to a standing position. "But I might kill Vaughan."

"Such big words. Let me know when you do, okay? Gabi out!"

AJ pulled the phone away from her ear, looking at it like it had twelve heads. Why did she have the feeling that Gabi was only humouring her homicidal tendencies towards Vaughan Cliff?


	4. Gabi - September

Gabi sighed as the phone rang again. It was Jack and she'd already ignored three calls from him. She felt terrible for ignoring the calls from her boyfriend, but she was starting to feel weird about the entire situation. And slightly upset. Jack was the guy she went to when she was having boy problems, but she really couldn't go to him with her problems when said problems were kind of with him. And, part of her allowed, they weren't exactly problems to begin with so much as that she was having trouble reconciling Jack, her best guy friend with Jack, her boyfriend.

She jumped when the phone rang again, this time with the ringtone she'd programmed for her best friend. "Hey Annie."

"Okay, want to explain to me why you're not picking up the phone for Jack? He's called me three times today and as much as I love my brother, that's just overkill."

"Annie, I really don't want to do this." Even as the words came out of her mouth she knew that, to AJ, those would be enough to spark the conversation she was valiantly trying to avoid.

"Whoa, what's going on with you two? I'd assumed everything was still in the honeymoon stages."

"Nothing." Gabi sighed. "Absolutely nothing."

"Which is the problem?" AJ asked with a knowing tone underlying her voice.

"The long distance is hard," Gabi allowed. "But we've always been okay with the long distance friendship."

"Yeah, but we both know that a friendship long distance and a relationship long distance isn't the same thing."

AJ, really, had just said the words Gabi had already realized. She missed snuggling with Jack, she missed watching movies with him, walking through the park... She missed him and the phone just wasn't going to cut it.

"So tell him you want him to visit," AJ suggested.

"Thanksgiving isn't that far away," Gabi argued. "And it's a long drive."

"Okay, you had absolutely no trouble with him making the drive when you guys were just friends. He's your boyfriend, Gabs, You're allowed to tell your boyfriend you want to see him." AJ paused. "You think dating him is different than being friends with him.

"It is different," Gabi argued.

AJ groaned. "Gabs, we've had eight different variations of this bloody conversation. You really have to stop looking at these situations as black and white."

"You just don't understand-"

"Maybe not, but I have a pretty good idea. Look, Gabs, just talk to Jack. He can help a lot more than I can, though I'd bet he looks at your friendship as a solid foundation for your relationship."

"Right," Gabi replied on a sigh. "I'll talk to you later Annie."

She didn't want to talk to Jack. She wanted to not have this problem in the first place. She wanted to be back where she and Jack wer ein the summer. Everything had seemed all happy and carefree. She wanted the safety she remembered, not the up and down that she'd experienced since she'd been back at MIT. She blew out an exasperated breath and continued on her way. Change, it seemed, didn't want to settle well with her.

Jack was done with the avoidance. It wasn't like Gabi to avoid his phone calls and because of the distance between them, the phone was generally their only source of contact other than their nightly webcam chats. Avoidance was only characteristic of Gabi when something was wrong that she didn't want to address or talk about. Sure, she'd seemed off the last couple of times they'd talked, but he'd assumed it was the stress of starting back up at school. Slowly, he'd come to realize that they weren't talking about anything anymore. Not like they used to.

So, he'd decided it was time for a visit. He killed the engine outside of Gabi's apartment complex, pushing open his door and pulling his duffle from the passenger's seat. Gabi had to talk to him. He needed to talk to Gabi.

The next thing he knew, he was standing in front of Gabi's apartment door. He raised his hand, knocked and waited for the wood to swing open. When it did, Gabi was standing there looking very much surprised.

"Jack!"

He drew in a deep breath, well aware the words he was about to say weren't supposed to be the beginning of any conversation. "We need to talk."

He knew the way she swallowed meant she was nervous, but she stepped aside anyway to let him in. He dropped his bag just inside the door and stood there, turning away long enough to ensure the door was locked behind them. "Gabs, what's going on with you?"

"I'm fine."

Jack sighed. "You're not fine."

"Jack, can we not do this?"

He stepped towards her, his hands lifting to rest on her shoulders. "This is affecting our relationship Monkey. We need to talk about it."

She chewed her lip for a moment, then took a deep breath. "Okay, hold on, can we start this whole visit again?" Then she was ushering him back out the door. Gabi pasted a smile on her face as she greeted him. "Jack!"

He had to admit, he liked this greeting better as she wrapped her arms around him in a tight hug. "Hi Gabs."

"What are you doing here?"

If she was hoping to distract him, it wasn't going to work. "We need to talk, Gabs."

"Can we just-"

"No," Jack interrupted. Sometimes she was too much like her parents and Jack was well-versed in the trials and tribulations of his aunt and uncle's romance. "We're going to do this now. You're not talking to me."

Gabi pulled away. "Of course I'm talking to you."

"No you're not, Monkey. Not like we used to. This is me."

Something shifted in Gabi's eyes and he knew they were actually going to talk about it rather than avoid the issue. "It doesn't matter Jack. It's not the same."

"Because we're dating now? I would think that would make it all the more important that we talk. You've always told me everything," Jack argued calmly and patiently. "I haven't changed, Gabi, so I don't understand why it's different."

"We're different," Gabi contradicted.

"We're not, Gabs. You're still Gabi, the girl who eats banana splits and watches Hoodwinked when she's upset. You're still my best friend, still the person I tell everything to and the person who knows the most about me. I don't understand how we've changed."

The look in Gabi's eyes was one of a vulnerability she'd never had with him. Because they'd been friends so long and Jack knew so much about her, Gabi had never had the reason to feel vulnerable.

"It just is," she said quietly.

He cupped her face in his hands. "It doesn't have to be."

She pulled away, wrapping her arms across her stomach. "I thought..." She shook her head. "This is supposed to be easy, Jack. We're best friends. The transition... but it's not easy."

Jack had found the transition virtually seamless. This was the first time he'd ever even considered that things weren't as simple as they seemed. "Why?"

"Because you're my boyfriend," she replied, throwing her hands in the air. "It's not the same."

Sure, Gabi had always drawn a very distinct line between her boyfriend and herself, largely because she still had moments of complete insecurity and was very protective of her heart. But Jack knew every insecurity Gabi battled. He knew Gabi.

"I don't understand, Gabs. I thought we knew way too much about each other to worry about the usual insecurities," he said quietly, gently.

From the look on Gabi's face, he was very much right.

"I need you to talk to me, Monkey."

Her eyes darted down. "I miss you," she said finally, quietly. "I didn't before. I had no reason..."

When they'd missed each other prior to the beginning of their relationship, it was simple to pick up the phone and arrange a visit. He stepped closer to her, his hand rubbing up and down her arms. "I miss you too, Gabs."

"This long distance thing..." She shook her head again.

"It sucks," he finished for her. "But it's not like we can't visit. We're not across the country from each other, or further." He paused, his fingers sneaking under her chin to turn it upwards. "But you have to tell me. All you have to do is ask, Gabs, and I'll come visit. Same as it's always been."

She chewed her lip for a moment before nodding slowly. "Okay."

But Jack couldn't help but think he hadn't solved anything at all.


	5. Kate - September

Katherine Hotchner was not happy.

She'd been at Julliard for almost a month, and she had yet to start enjoying herself. She'd been aware going into Julliard that she wasn't going to be the one anymore. She wasn't going to be the star musical darling. She was simply going to be one fish in a sea of starlets, but she'd never in a million years expected what she was currently experiencing. She felt like she couldn't catch a break, couldn't focus or do anything right in any of her classes. It was killing her.

Not to mention that she felt completely and utterly alone. Kate was a happy personable person by nature, but she didn't have her support system. She didn't have anyone. She and Callum had broken up at the end of the summer, both of them going their separate ways, and Calleigh was off at CalTech, where she most definitely deserved to be. That didn't mean that being alone wasn't difficult on Kate. She wondered when Calleigh was going to get so endlessly frustrated with all of the calling Kate did that she just stopped answering her best friend's calls.

And to top it off, she had more homework than she was sure she could finish. She'd been working her butt off since arriving at Julliard and none of her professors seemed to even recognize how much work she put into the things she did. There was only one professor who complimented her on her work and it wasn't her vocal or dance professor, professors she felt really mattered. It was her Old Languages professor, a mandatory course even though she really wasn't planning on going the opera route. Which was the fundamental reason why her hands were utterly filled with books, so much so that she managed to overbalance them as she went for her keys.

"Whoa!"

The voice startled her, but two hands caught the books that were going over. She managed a small smile at the boy who grinned unrepentantly at her. He was the boy from across the hall in residence, someone she saw around the school from time to time and, she knew, was even in some of her classes. But she'd never met him. "Thanks."

"Sure thing. Can I give you a hand?"

Kate shook her keys. "I'd appreciate it."

"Of course." He took her keys holding each one up in turn until he found her room key. He slid it into the lock and pushed the door open.

"You're a life saver," Kate said on a sigh as she pushed her way into her room and dropped all of her books on her bed. She plopped down beside them, looking at them as if they were the devil incarnate. And really, she supposed, that was a distinct possibility with the way her year had started out.

"Everything okay?"

"Huh? Oh, yeah."

He cocked his head to the side. "Doesn't seem like it."

"With all due respect," Kate said, looking back at her books. "I don't think it's any of your business."

"Hey, when there's someone in need, I like to help," he replied, carefully stepping further into her room and holding out his hand. "Landon. Landon Kerns."

She managed to conjure up a smile as she shook his hand. "Kate. Hotchner."

"Pleasure." He waved to the books. "What's all this about?"

"This is Julliard kicking me up the bum," Kate replied with a sigh. "I have so much to do..."

Landon eyed her. "You're one of those overachieving types, aren't you?"

"How could you tell?"

He shrugged. "Good intuition I guess. Hey, why don't I go and get my things and we can work on some of this together. I've seen you in some of my classes."

"It's really okay," Kate protested, but he was already waving her off.

"I'll be back quick as a bunny. Two heads should be better than one after all."

Kate actually felt confident as she walked side-by-side into her class with Landon. She'd been up the better part of the night trying to get through her assignments, but for the first time she hadn't felt like breaking down and she hadn't been forced to call someone who loved her. Landon had kept her both focused and distracted. He was funny and he wasn't as snobbish as some of the people she'd met. He loved that he was at Julliard and it seemed like he'd be a hard worker, but he also realized that it didn't mean he had to pretend to be better than everyone else. They were all in the same boat, he'd explained to her, and some of them would make it, some of them wouldn't.

"Plus," he'd explained, "look at it this way, if I make it an you don't, or vice versa, we have each other to lean on!"

It had been a long time since Kate had laughed that hard since starting school and, for the first time, she didn't feel like a loser loner. Instead, she felt like maybe she could get through this. She'd made a friend, there was no doubt about that and that made her feel a little bit better in this sea of people who were utterly sure no one in the world could be better than they were.

She placed her paper on top of Landon's laughing at something he'd said. She was still smiling when she looked up at her professor, smiling back at her.

"Is it as good as the last one?"

Kate full out grinned. "Even better."

"I didn't think it could get better," the older man replied approvingly.

"Neither did I," Kate replied. "Then I wrote this."

"I can't wait to read it," he said, absently watching the next person drop their paper on top of hers.

Kate was blushing profusely as she followed Landon to a seat in the middle of the class. Part of her didn't really care though because it seemed today was turning out to be a good day after all.


	6. AJ - October (Halloween)

"Hey Hotch!"

AJ groaned. It was Halloween and she had plans. Plans that didn't involve the pest that had fallen into step with her. She didn't have patience for him. Not today. Most definitely not today.

"Look, Cliff, if I promise you can annoy the hell out of me tomorrow, will you leave me alone today?" she asked, glancing at him as she readjusted her books.

"No. Though I would like to preface this discussion by saying, for once, my intentions are honourable."

"Your intentions are never honourable," AJ contradicted.

Vaughan sighed, stopping in front of her, relieving her of some of her books. "You have to stop studying, if only to give your muscles a break. You're going to kill yourself."

"Did you just do something nice?" she asked, blinking.

He flashed her what she supposed was meant to be a charming smile. "Of course not. If you kill yourself, who will argue with. Carrying these is a purely selfish gesture."

"Right," AJ replied, surprised at the disappointment that raced through her. She mentally shook herself. "You still haven't explained how your intentions are innocent."

"Well, Hotch..."

"Don't call me Hotch," AJ groaned.

"I figured my real intentions wouldn't be received as my innocent ones," Vaughan continued, nonplussed.

"I want to slap you."

"See?" he grinned. "This is the reason I stuck with the innocent."

AJ took a deep, calming breath. "What is it then?"

"I assume you have a costume for Halloween?" he said, his eyes drifting down her body.

"Of course," she replied haughtily. "And keep your eyes up here, Cliff. There's no reason to look if you can't touch."

One of his eyebrows went up, but he avoided her obvious attempt to bait him. Instead, he pulled an envelope out of his back pocket and tucked it into one of her recently borrowed library books. "It's an invitation," he said. "You should show up. And bring your hot roommate."

Before she could reply, he'd slid the books neatly back into her arms, complete with the envelope. She was still too shocked to stop him from sauntering away. She blinked. What had just happened?

"We have to go," Jessica almost whined. "Do you have any idea how exclusive this party is?"

AJ sighed. "It's Vaughan Cliff's party. I'm not going, Jess."

Even Ashlynn rolled her eyes. "Crappy reason not to go and you know it. Look, Jess is right, it's an exclusive party, and it's the best."

"So what?" AJ replied, putting another bobby pin into her hair.

"So what? Come on, Annie. We've been friends for how long? I know Halloween is your absolute favourite holiday, so why are you turning down the best party? Because of Vaughan Cliff?" Ashlynn shook her head. "We both know it's a terrible excuse."

"You want to go?" AJ replied in confusion. "You hate Cliff as much as I do."

Ashlynn shrugged. "I'm not against a good party," she pointed out. "And Cliff's is the best. Plus, you may not even have to interact with him."

"It's a masked ball, Annie!" Jessica pointed out. "No one's supposed to know who anyone else is."

AJ pursed her lips as she continuing putting the pins in her hair. Ashlynn had made a really good point, Vaughan did throw the best parties. He was notorious for it. And Halloween was the one day that AJ never felt guilty for shirking her educational duties. Not to mention that the best part of it for her was the ability to get dressed up and pretend to be something she wasn't.

Ashlynn was smirking when AJ finally zoned back in. "We're going."

AJ rolled her eyes, but nodded. "Yeah. We're going."

"There isn't a chance in hell you regret this, is there?" Ashlynn asked with a confident smirk. She and AJ stood in a crowded ballroom rented just for this occasion, watching the party in full swing.

"If I tell you I don't regret this, will you leave me alone?"

Ashlynn let out an appreciative sound. "I'm going to leave you right now. That hottie is all but calling my name..."

AJ shook her head affectionately as Ashlynn started weaving her way across the rather full dance floor to the other side of the room. She couldn't stop the corners of her mouth tilting up. This was exactly what she loved best about Halloween.

Her dress was elegant, black, form fitting and, as both Ashlynn and Jessica had told her a number of times, made her look 'drool-worthy'. Elbow length gloves covered the scar on her left arm Jack had accidentally given her in an accident when they were kids, and simple black heels adorned her feet. There was a tiny rhinestone tiara and a large but fake diamond necklace. Her hair was piled and pinned on top of her head and, the final piece to top it off, a black, silk mask.

"Hello, Holly."

The appreciative whisper in her ear, for once, didn't make her flinch. Instead, it made her smirk at the man behind her. She caught her breath at the Phantom of the Opera. The Phantom of the Opera was her favourite performance and she had two battered copies of it. It was a brilliant costume, almost exact... She felt herself flushing as he gallantly bent over her gloved hand.

"Can I get you a drink, milady?"

AJ smiled but shook the cup in her hand. "I believe I'm good."

Erik the Phantom removed the cup neatly from her hand, setting it on a nearby window sill. "A dance then. You are much too breathtaking to be a wallflower."

She still couldn't breathe. It had been a while since she had met anyone who acted so formal and gallant. Not to mention that the spark of attraction that had shot up her arm and spread warmly through her body was one that hadn't felt in a very long time. AJ found herself drawn in by the spark, by the heat. There was no other response than to take his hand and let him lead her to the dance floor. Whoever this 'Erik' was, he was exactly the tall, dark and handsome man she'd been hoping to have with her tonight. She was having a better than great time.

She lost herself in the dancing, in the feeling of the mysterious 'Erik' that had her heart beating faster and her skin flushing. They danced for a while, his hand roaming in all the nice yet appropriate places. She was surprised, if she was honest with herself. She had no idea who he was, he had no idea who she was, there was no way for her to know who he was in the light of day. In theory, he could be the guy that sat next to her in her legal issues course and she would never know.

They danced closer and closer, bodies brushing. The music slowed, much to AJ's surprise, and he wrapped a strong arm around her back, the other gently gripping her hand as he started leading her around the floor. AJ's heart rate picked up again as she realized that she'd really hit the jackpot. He was an excellent dancer. They were few and far between and a good dancer was one of AJ's weak spots.

After leading her around the floor twice, he picked a spot on the floor and simply started swaying with her. There was no surprise when he leaned closer, just anticipation and a heady feeling of excitement as his mouth met hers. The arm that was resting on his shoulder wrapped around his neck, pulling him closer as he tucked their other hands between them and pulled their lower bodies closer together.

She fell into the kiss, into the feelings it was invoking in her. 'Erik' was a fantastic kisser, the right amount of pressure, the right amount of movement... She was drowning and she was quite content to be doing it too. Eventually, however, they both had to pull away for air.

"God, Hotch..."

The nickname had her eyes widening. "No. No, no, no, nonononono..." AJ stepped away, her eyes wide. "Vaughan?"

"So now we're on a first name basis?" The mask came off and sure enough, Vaughan Cliff was standing in front of her, dressed as the Phantom of the Opera. She'd just been kissing Vaughan Cliff.

AJ's mind was whirling. "How did you know it was me?"

The sound he made was appreciative as he slid his gaze down her body. "It's not that hard."

"You have got to be kidding me."

"Not at all. And if you'd be willing..."

She slapped him as he stepped closer. Then gripped his shirt. "Listen to me, Cliff. Stay the hell away from me."

"That is so not what your body was saying just a minute ago," he said lowly, his voice reverberating through her.

"My body thought you were better than the scum of the earth. But that's why I live my life with my brain," AJ replied. "Just... stay away."

She wove her way through the crowd, finding Ashlynn and Jessica, flirting with a group of boys by the bar. "I'm going home."

Ashlynn took one look at AJ's frazzled face and immediately grabbed AJ's hand and pulled her out of the building. She hailed a cab and pushed AJ in before following, Jessica, having followed them, climbed in after Ashlynn.

"What happened?" Ashlynn asked after giving the cabbie their apartment address.

AJ's head dropped into her hands. "I kissed Vaughan Cliff."


	7. Gabi - Early November

She was starting to panic. Gabi was not the type to panic. She was an easy-going personality, one that went with the flow, but this... there was no way to go with the flow when she was late for her period.

She was trying to breathe, really she was, but it was extremely difficult to keep herself together. On her bed, rested a handful of pregnancy tests, but Gabi was much too afraid to even touch them now that she'd bought them. But she had to know. She very much had to know. And all she wanted was Jack to be there with her, holding her hand, just holding her.

But she couldn't. This was something neither of them had anticipated. She couldn't approach Jack with the idea that she was pregnant. Not to mention her father would probably throttle Jack. Nevertheless, she very much couldn't do it by herself. Shaky fingers pressed three on her speed dial.

"Hey Gabs. Can I call you back?"

"No."

That gave AJ pause. She heard her best friend say something to someone, an apology, then she was back on the line. "What happened?"

Gabi swallowed thickly. This was ridiculously hard to say. "I need you to come to Boston."

"Gabs, I love you, but I can't just-"

"Annie. I need you to come to Boston." She was on the verge of tears and found herself biting her cheek.

"Okay, okay. I just... Give me a few hours okay? I'll call you when I get in."

With that, AJ had hung up and Gabi started to panic again. Pregnant. She could be pregnant. She wasn't ready for children. She hadn't even graduated yet. And she wanted things between her and Jack to be stronger before they even thought about children, preferably permanent. It wasn't as if she hadn't thought about that before, thought about a life with Jack once she'd graduated and started working for the NSA.

She wanted kids, there was no doubt about that, but it was too big of a responsibility for her now. There was still so much to do in her life, and though, if she was pregnant, she'd adjust accordingly, it was a lot to take in. She didn't want to be pregnant. Well, not yet.

She glanced back at the pregnancy tests on her bed.

God, she didn't want to be pregnant.

Her heart started pounding louder and louder and louder as she stepped closer and closer to the door. If it was Jack, one of his surprise visits, she was screwed. But if it was AJ, then she was actually going to have to face the little boxes still in the plastic bag on her bed.

"Gabs? You in there?"

AJ. Part of Gabi let out a sigh of relief. If she wasn't pregnant – which she'd been trying to convince herself of for the last couple of hours – then she didn't have to mention anything to Jack and she really wasn't planning on it. She opened the door, and was immediately enveloped in a deep hug.

"Oh good, you're not hurt or anything," AJ said, stepping inside. "You had me utterly terrified! I thought you were in the hospital or something."

"No," Gabi returned, swallowing thickly.

AJ moved further into the room. "Okay, then what's-"

Gabi's eyes slammed closed. AJ would have moved to the bed out of habit to drop her bag on it. And that was where her bag of pregnancy tests were.

"Is there something you want to tell me?" AJ asked quietly.

"I'm late," Gabi replied quietly. "I don't... I haven't..."

"That's why you wanted me here. You didn't want to do this alone. Have you told Jack?"

"Of course not," Gabi replied. "I don't even know if I'm..."

"Pregnant," AJ provided.

"... So I don't want to tell him without proof."

"Okay." Gabi could tell AJ was slamming down the ambassador's mask that was famous in the Prentiss-Hotchner family. For once, she was glad for it. She was freaking out and it was nice to have someone who was actually calm, even if it was forced calm.

"Gabs, how do you want to do this?" AJ asked. "Because you have to know, either way."

Gabi hadn't stepped away from the door. She'd closed it and locked it out of habit, but she hadn't stepped away from it. Instead, she rested her back against her for support. She didn't know what to say.

"Okay," AJ nodded, understanding that Gabi didn't know any better than she did. "We're going to do this, okay? We're going to do this right now, and see what happens."

"Annie, what if-"

"Now's not the time to think of 'what if's, Gab. You have no idea if they're going to be positive. This could just be stress that you didn't realize, it could be the change in city... There's a number of reasons you could be late, okay?" AJ tried to reassure her. "You're not going to have an idea until you take the test."

"Or three."

A smile crept over her best friend's face. "Or three. I'm here for as long as you need me, okay?"

"God," Gabi said as she released a breath. "You sound just like your brother."

"In this situation, I'm not sure if it's a good thing or a bad thing," AJ replied, picking up the bag and then pushing herself off the bed. "Take the tests, we'll go from there."

It was the longest five minutes of Gabi's life, then the longest fifteen as the first test came back positive. When the second and third did too, Gabi dropped her head into her hands. This wasn't supposed to happen to her. As much as her mother went on and on about how much Gabi was loved and adored, she was well aware that her father hadn't known she existed for almost seven months.

She felt AJ's arms wrap around her.

"Hey, it's going to be okay," the raven-haired girl whispered. "It's going to be okay."

Gabi was too busy breaking down to tell AJ she didn't believe her.


	8. Kate - Early November

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> TRIGGER WARNING - IMPLIED SEXUAL ASSAULT
> 
> There's nothing particularly graphic about it, it's more implied than anything else, but please note that it is here, and it is something that will be dealt with as the story goes on.

Kate knocked cheerfully, if apprehensively on Professor Ivan Heap's door.

"Katherine!"

Kate really wasn't sure how she felt about how he was the only one that ever referred to her by her full first name. Not even her very formal grandparents called her 'Katherine'. But she liked to believe the work her parents did gave her a rather well-informed 'creep radar' and calling her by her full first name, though odd, didn't meet the 'creepy quotient'.

"You asked to see me?" Kate replied. She was nervous. She wasn't often asked to see her professors outside of class and the fact that Professor Heap was the only one who had so far praised any of her work made her worry even more.

"I did! I did!" he replied exuberantly. "Come in, have a seat."

The only place for her to sit was a couch against the wall. She relaxed a little bit when Heap came out from behind the desk to sit beside her.

"Don't look so worried, Katherine. You're not in any sort of trouble."

That made Kate relax further. "Then why did you want to see me?"

"Because you're my best student," he replied, sliding closer. "And as my best student I think it's about time you got some of the perks! I like to give my best students the best opportunities."

"Opportunities?" Kate asked, her heart starting to race in anticipation.

"I have a lot of friends on Broadway," her professor replied. "I have the connections to make you a real star."

Kate's breath caught. Broadway? He was offering her the connections to get herself on Broadway! She didn't know what to do, what to think. She snapped back when his hand curved around her thigh.

"You can be a real star," he repeated, his hand creeping upward on her leg. "You just have to make the right people happy, play into what the right people want."

Kate's body froze, her mind was whirling. This was going somewhere she really didn't want, really couldn't comprehend. His fingers were stroking higher on her thigh, curling in, moving up...

"No," Kate said.

"You don't want to be on Broadway? There isn't a star that gets ahead on talent alone, Katherine." His other hand was creeping up her side, making her skin crawl. "They know who to... make friends with." His hand gripped her breast through her sweater.

Kate felt her stomach roll violently, but she couldn't make her body move. This didn't happen to her. She was a better judge of character than that. Her parents had taught her better.

"No," she repeated, her voice shaking. Her hand came up, trying to pull his away from her chest. "No."

"Broadway, Katherine," he whispered in her ear as he grasped both of her wrists, easily overpowering her. "Broadway."

Kate struggled, but nothing seemed to help. Tears spilled down her face, soaking her cheeks.

She was helpless.

Hours later, her hands shook as she tried to find her room key, her entire body vibrating with so many different versions of revulsion. She outright screamed when a masculine hand closed around hers. Her heart was pounding as she turned wide eyes to the young man standing behind her, hands up in surrender.

Landon took one look at her spooked expression and softened. "It's just me, Kat. It's Landon."

Her eyes cleared slowly, but the shaking didn't subside in the slightest. It was bad enough that her keys were jangling, bumping against each other in her hand. "Hi."

"What happened?"

Kate's eyes slammed closed. "I don't want to talk about it."

"Kat…."

"No!"

"Okay," Landon said immediately. She was a startled rabbit. "Can I have your keys?"

She looked down at the pieces of metal, one or two of them cutting into her palm with how hard she was gripping them. She tried to breathe. This wasn't a bad person. If there was one thing her parents taught her, it was that people were always different. Not everyone in the world was going to hurt her. As a result, when Kate trusted, she trusted with everything in her. She trusted Landon. So the next time he reached for her, she let him pry the keys from her fingers.

He tried to calm his racing heart as he slid the right one into the keyhole, allowing both of them entrance. But he stepped back. With the way she'd spooked when he'd tried to help her with her keys – something he'd done a hundred times since they'd become friends early in their time at Julliard when her hands were absolutely teaming with things – he was going to be walking on eggshells. He eyed the way she raced around her room grabbing her things for a shower.

"Can I come in?"

She jumped and he wasn't sure if it was because she hadn't realised he was still standing there or if it was because she hadn't expected the question. She chewed her lip and Landon prepared himself for a night of worrying in his own room. He didn't know what to do with the relief that flooded his system when she nodded.

"I'm… I'm just going to have a shower but… yeah, you can come in."

He didn't say a word as he followed her inside, just made sure to lock the door behind him. He didn't want to freak her out. Kate slid into her bathroom, not even glancing at Landon as she shut the door. She turned the shower on, as hot as she could stand it before shucking off her clothes into a pile on the floor. She just wanted to be clean, was that too much to ask?

The hot shower spray scalded her skin, but Kate ignored it. She'd managed to hold it together, managed to get back to her room, but now that she was under the spray, she let the tears come, let them flow hotly down her face as she finally let it all overwhelm her. She'd been used and she was dirty and she just wanted it all to go away.


	9. Kate & Calleigh - Late November

Calleigh was just stepping out of her class when her phone rang. She glanced at the caller ID, brow wrinkling when she didn't recognize the number. "Hello?"

"Calleigh Reid?" a male voice asked tentatively.

"This is she."

"Oh thank God. It's Landon Kerns, I'm friends with Kat, um... Kate?"

"I remember her talking about you," Calleigh replied, nestling the phone between her ear and shoulder as she pushed through the crowds of people. She had a lab in twenty minutes.

"Yeah, um, listen... do you have a few minutes? It's about Kate and it's important."

That made Calleigh stop dead. She knew something was wrong with Kate, something serious and something dangerous, but nothing in her usual best friend arsenal had been able to get out of Kate exactly what that was. She knew Kate hadn't been happy at Julliard, but this went beyond that. She wasn't Kate anymore, she was some shell of the dynamic starlet Calleigh knew best and there was nothing in the world Calleigh was starting to hate more than feeling like she didn't know her best friend anymore.

"I have a lab in twenty minutes," she said slowly. "But I'm listening."

"I don't know what to do," Landon lamented. "She's... she's curling in on herself, doesn't talk to anyone, barely gets through her classes... she doesn't watch movies or listen to music or... or anything."

Calleigh knew this. Well, not that she wasn't watching movies or anything anymore, but it had started to feel like her calls were routine rather than something she really wanted to do. It hurt Calleigh, and in the beginning, she'd felt like she was simply an obligation, but now that she had confirmation that Kate wasn't just acting weird with her, she felt worry and concern flood her. "Do you know what happened?"

"No," Landon replied dejectedly. "And I've tried absolutely everything I can think of to try and get it out of her, but nothing works. Absolutely nothing and I'm completely and totally freaking out now."

Calleigh chewed on her lip, a habit she'd picked up from her mother. She had to go to her lab, there was no ifs ands or buts about that. "How long?"

Landon blew out a heavy sigh. "I don't know... A couple of weeks? She's... She's spiralling. I can't help her. You're her best friend, I figured if anyone could help... it would be you."

And if she couldn't help... well, she didn't want to have to call AJ, Jack or anyone else in the Hotchner family, but she knew she had that in her back pocket as a last ditch effort. "I have to do my lab... I'll be there by tomorrow."

His next sigh was one of relief. "Thanks, Calleigh."

"There's absolutely no need to thank me," she replied quietly. "Katie's my best friend."

"I know the feeling," Landon agreed. "Just let me know when you're coming in, okay? I'll make sure I'm there to meet you."

Calleigh hung up with Landon, then dialled home. "Hey Mom, I need you to do me a favour..."

Her mother had been more than happy to front Calleigh the money to make the trek from CalTech to New York. She had no idea who Landon was, what he looked like or very much about him for that matter. So she took a very deep breath as she searched the terminal, hoping to everything that was good and holy someone would recognize her instead.

"Calleigh?"

The man who called her name didn't strike her as the dancing or musical theatre type and she found herself almost pinching herself to remind her that not everyone who went to Julliard was there for the same reason Kate was. She held out her hand. "You're Landon?"

"I am," he said, relief obvious in every line of his body, not to mention his voice. "Thank you so much for coming."

"It's Kate," Calleigh said quietly. "She's my best friend."

Landon favoured her with a smile. "I can relate. Come on, I'll take you to the school."

They didn't talk on their way to the school at all, the subject at hand too delicate and too worrisome for either of them to really want to address. Calleigh found herself taking a deep breath as she followed Landon into the school, up to the hallway he shared with Kate. She knew there had been something Kate wasn't telling her for a long time. She found herself chewing her lip again.

Landon stopped in front of the door Calleigh assumed was Kate's. "Kat?" he called, knocking on the door. "Kate it's Landon."

"I'm busy," Kate's voice called back emotionlessly.

"Come on, Kate," Landon said, resting his head against the wood his own worry, concern and caring written on his face and in his body.

Calleigh found herself blinking, filing everything back into her head. This wasn't just a friend standing here hoping for his friend to poke her head out of the room. There was more to Landon than Calleigh had originally realized and she hoped, for his sake if not only for Kate's, that she had some sort of magic touch to help Kate. Obviously Kate wasn't just important to her family anymore. So she gently nudged Landon out of the way

"Kate?" she said quietly, knocking on the door gently. "It's Calleigh."

She heard shuffling, and then Kate's surprised brown eyes met hers. "You're supposed to be at CalTech. Don't you have some sort of important competition this weekend?"

Calleigh shrugged. "Someone else can cover for me. I had something more important I had to do."

"In New York?" Kate asked, still confused.

"Let me in and I promise to tell you all about it," Calleigh cajoled.

The door opened slowly and Calleigh couldn't help but thing the usually charming brown eyes that met hers were more tentative and afraid than the Kate Calleigh was used to. She cocked her head to the side. "Hi Katie."

Kate managed a small smile. "Hey Cal."

"You think Landon could come in too?"

Kate hesitated.

"He's worried about you," Calleigh tried softly. "We both are."

Kate stepped back and Calleigh darted a glance at Landon before slipping in. Landon followed, locking the door behind him. Kate curled up on her bed, pulling her knees to her chest. Calleigh climbed up beside her, making sure her shoulder brushed her best friend's in that show of unconditional support. Landon chose the desk chair across the room.

"So? Why New York?" Kate asked.

Calleigh looked to Landon. "I think you know why Kate," she replied softly. "What happened? What's going on?"

"Nothing," Kate argued, eyes cutting accusingly to Landon. "Did he tell you something was wrong?"

"I knew long before Landon called me," Calleigh replied gently, deflecting the blame. "I know you Kate, I can tell when there's something off. And this goes beyond simply being unhappy at Julliard."

"I've just been distracted, that's all," Kate countered. "I've been concentrating."

"You've been hiding," Landon accused, his hands gripping the arms of Kate's chair tightly.

Calleigh almost glared at him. That kind of accusation wasn't going to help their case. In fact, it was more likely to send Kate burrowing further in on herself.

"I've just been trying to focus," Kate tried again, her voice rising steadily. That in itself was a great indication of how uncomfortable Kate was.

Calleigh feigned looking away, as if she was trying to collect her thoughts, then she met Kate's frantic eyes again. Her best friend was going to be sorely disappointed if she thought Calleigh was going to take her side. "You're hollow," the blond genius said quietly. "You're not Kate, anymore, you're the shell of Kate and you can't blame Julliard for that because I know better. Which means something happened. And I know it's not something at home because I would have heard about it if it was."

Kate's eyes slammed shut and Calleigh knew she'd hit a nerve. "Cal please. Please don't," the brunette whispered.

"You can't keep going on like this Kate. If Landon's noticed then you know your parents have, and it's only a matter of time before Uncle Aaron comes up to check on you himself."

Kate winced.

Calleigh rested her hands on Kate's knees, twisting her body so she faced the slim brunette. She spoke softly, "If you can trust anyone, Katie, it's me."

Kate's eyes stayed closed, but tears leaked out from beneath her lashes. "Calleigh."

Calleigh grasped her best friend's hand. "Katie."

Pained brown orbs finally opened, tears flowing freely down her cheeks. "He touched me."

Much to Calleigh's surprise, the story flowed easily out of Kate's mouth from there and she listed with rapt attention as Kate spoke of an ongoing abuse that Calleigh would have never pegged as the underlying problem in Kate's life. Eventually, the story died down, Calleigh having wrapped both arms around her surrogate sister in the process. Calleigh's own eyes were wet with tears as she took in a deep breath and said the words she very much didn't want to say.

"Katie, you have to tell your dad."


	10. Gabi - December

Penelope Garcia-Morgan rushed through the hospital halls without an regard to whomever she may bowl over. She was on a mission and trying not to panic at the same time. It was to be expected. Gabi had called, in tears, requesting her mother come to the hospital. The hospital! Penelope had wanted to grill her daughter right then and there on the phone, without any regard to whatever was actually going on. But maternal instincts had, naturally, kicked in first and Penelope found herself packing her bags before she even thought about calling Derek.

The team was in Oklahoma. There was nothing he could do. That had been her justification for why she still hadn't picked up the phone. There was no use freaking him out because his princess was in the hospital without more information. Which was why she was racing through the halls of a hospital, trying to find her daughter. Eventually, the room number caught her eye and she swung into the sterile room.

Her daughter, her strong, intelligent, beautiful daughter, was curled in a ball on a hospital bed, her back to the door. Penelope dropped her bags, sliding onto the edge of the bed, her hand stroking over Gabi's dark hair.

"Mama?"

Gabi's voice was so small, it brought tears to Penelope's eyes. "You've got that right."

Gabi shot upright and into her mother's arms, tears soaking the skin of Penelope's neck. Her own tears sprung to her eyes. Gabi was twenty-one, an adult by every stretch of the imagination. Yet here she was, crying in her mother's arms like she'd done when she was still just a little girl. Penelope's heart broke. They sat like that until Gabi calmed down, though Penelope didn't let go as the sobbing and shaking died down.

"Peanut, what happened?"

Gabi tensed in her arms. "You're going to be disappointed."

"Oh, sweetheart, I'm not," Penelope tried to reassure her eldest, even as her heart jumped into her throat. "I could never be disappointed in you."

Gabi pulled away then, curling herself into that ball again, wrapping her arms around her shins. "There's no easy way to tell you..."

Penelope gave her a mock scolding face. "Come on. Out with it."

"I was pregnant."

Penelope slammed head long into a wall she hadn't even known existed. Pregnant? Her baby girl? At twenty-one? Well, Penelope had to admit she agreed with Gabi's previous assessment. There really wasn't a delicate way of saying life-changing news like that. She remembered finding out she was pregnant with the young woman in front of her, the shock, the depression... she and Derek hadn't even been together at that point.

"Does Jack know?" Penelope asked quietly, forcing herself to put shock aside for the time being.

Gabi shook her head. "I was pregnant, Mama."

Shock was brutally shoved aside for sympathy. Was. Meaning she wasn't anymore. Meaning she'd had a miscarriage. "Oh, Peanut."

The tears came again, though this time, Gabi simply sobbed into her arms. Penelope shifted as best she could on the narrow bed, wrapping an arm around her daughter's shoulders. A clearing of the throat brought their attention to the doctor that had stepped into the room. He tried for a smile in Penelope's direction.

"You must be Mom," he greeted.

Penelope nodded. "Penelope Morgan."

"Dr. Bob Stewart," the doctor replied, shaking Penelope's hand. His attention turned to Gabi. "So I have good news and bad news."

Gabi chewed her lip as Penelope bit her tongue. Her daughter had just lost a baby, how could there be good news?

Dr Stewart pulled up a chair, sitting in it and resting his arms on his thighs. "Do you know what a chemical pregnancy is?"

Both women shook their heads.

"It's a very, very early miscarriage," the doctor explained. "They're pretty common, so you're not much different than about fifty to sixty percent of women on their first pregnancy."

"But it's been months. I didn't get my period," Gabi said quietly.

The doctor nodded. "I can't account for what you were thinking, but I'd bet it was a combination of actually being pregnant, miscarrying early, then, because you'd taken the test and convinced yourself you were pregnant, your body started showing the signs. You had morning sickness?"

Gabi blushed, but nodded.

Penelope couldn't believe what she was hearing. "Hold on a gosh darn minute here," she said, "You're telling me that she's not pregnant?"

"Miss Morgan? Have you told your mother what happened?"

Gabi shook her head. "I didn't get a chance."

Dr Stewart smiled sympathetically. It really was a lot for a young woman to go through, especially since he'd bet the woman in question hadn't expected to be pregnant in the slightest.

Gabi took a deep breath. "I fell," she said. "I was in the computer lab..."

"Hey Gabs, server four's down again."

Gabi sighed, looking up at her long-time friend and colleague Clint Gowen. They'd been friends since both starting MIT four years ago. "So fix it."

He chuckled. "You know I'm not allowed. You're the only one here with the clearance codes."

Gabi frowned.

"Everything okay?" Clint asked. He'd noticed Gabi was off, noticed that she wasn't her usually bubbly self.

"You've been asking me that for weeks," Gabi snapped. "I'm fine."

Clint held up his hands. "Got it."

Gabi pushed herself up with a heavy sigh. "Why couldn't, I don't know, Dan be here?"

"Wish I could tell you," Clint replied. Then he cocked his head to the side. "Know what? Don't worry about it. Give me the pass code, I'll go fix it, no one will be the wiser. It'll be a quick thing anyway."

She wrinkled her nose. Yeah right no one would know. Plus, she wasn't allowed to pass out that kind of confidential information. She'd worked damn hard for the security clearance she had now. "Nah. I'm up now. It's fine."

She made her way to the stairs. The servers were held in a temperature controlled room just under the lab she was working in. Hitting the bottom, she blew out a breath. She was exhausted. It didn't help that she'd been up at ungodly hours emptying her stomach. Morning sickness sucked.

She was so wrapped up in her thoughts that she missed the mess of cables on the floor. Her foot caught in a loop of wires and before she knew it, she'd fallen face first... Her stomach landing on a tool box that had been left behind. The air whooshed out of her lungs as her heart stopped. She'd just hit her stomach. Hard.

She rolled, curling in on herself and trying to breathe again. Eventually, she pushed herself upright, forcing herself amidst the pain to go back up the stairs. Clint saw her almost immediately.

"That took you-" he started, before taking a good look at her. "What's wrong?"

She swallowed thickly. "I think I need to go to the hospital."

Penelope wrapped her arms tighter around her daughter. Dr Stewart smiled sympathetically again.

"The good news," he said softly, "which I recognize is a relative term, is that you had already miscarried by that point. All you're going to have to worry about is a bone-deep bruise that's going to make moving a little hard for the next couple of weeks."

He didn't have to tell them the bad news.

He reached over, resting his hand on Gabi's forearm. "Miss Morgan, the one thing you need to remember is that this was, by no means, your fault. It happens. Women miscarry all the time."

They all knew it didn't make Gabi feel that much better, but Penelope and the doctor both recognized that it was something that had to be said. There was no fault in miscarriages. They happened for a number of different, often inexplicable reasons. The doctor left then, leaving mother and daughter cuddled together as best the narrow bed could fit them.

Gabi sniffled slightly, then spoke. "Mama, I want to go home."

"Of course, baby," Penelope agreed. "Of course."


	11. Hotch - December

Aaron Hotchner smiled gently at his wife as they de-planed in NYC. Kate had called them a week ago to tell them probably some of the most disturbing news he'd ever heard. Part of him couldn't believe it had happened in his own family, everything he'd tried to protect the world from crashing down around his own kin. Now, it was time to visit Kate, to check up on her and take her home for the Christmas holidays.

And while he was there he planned to have words with the man that had put harmful hands on his daughter.

Emily gripped his hand tightly. "We should have pulled her out of there."

They'd had a number of variations of this conversation, each of them blaming themselves separately and together for not stepping in sooner, not helping their baby daughter.

"We couldn't have known sweetheart. She was happy for a time and we were waiting for her to say the words," Aaron tried to soothe his wife.

She smiled slightly. "I just… I wish we'd been watching her closer. I wish we couldn't have stepped in sooner. I wish we'd been able to keep this from happening."

Aaron was well aware that three kids and a stepson later, Emily still had her hang ups about motherhood. She worried constantly about becoming her mother, and usually nothing he could say or do could convince her otherwise. That didn't mean he never tried. "Emily, this does not make you a terrible mother," he told her, kissing her temple.

They were both quiet as they picked up their luggage and part of Aaron was truly surprised they managed to find a cab as fast as they did in a city like New York. Emily's hand stayed tightly clasped in his for the duration of their trip to Julliard. The hotel could wait and it wasn't like they'd packed large suitcases. They had a duffle each.

"Are you going to visit the bastard or your daughter first?" she asked softly.

That was a no-brainer and he tugged on his wife's hand. Since they'd moved Kate in, they knew where she lived and despite the circumstances under which they were actually there, Aaron couldn't help the grin from stealing across his face as they got closer to Kate's room. He was excited to see his daughter. Emily was the one who knocked.

Kate's head poked out of the door seconds before Aaron found his arms filled with his youngest daughter. "Hi Daddy."

Aaron's arms were as tight around Kate as hers were around him. "Hi Katie-Bear." He took a deep breath to ward off the tears he could feel creeping up his throat, then pressed a kiss to the top of her ponytail.

"Do I get a hug too?" Emily asked, the smile on her face contradicting the mock hurt in her eyes.

Kate let him go reluctantly to wrap her arms just as tightly around her mother. "Hi Mommy."

"Hi sweetheart," Emily answered softly and Aaron's heart swelled as it always did when he saw his family. Emily pulled away, holding her daughter at arms length. "We thought we'd come visit and then fly home with you."

Kate nodded, sniffing slightly. "Okay."

"Well, we'd like to spend a few days here first," Aaron amended. "See the city from a purely tourist standpoint."

This time, a smile stole across Kate's face. "I'd like that."

Emily smiled, curling her hand in Aaron's. Their attention was drawn to the door across the hall as it opened and a young man emerged, absently walking their way. "Hey Kat, do you…? Oh."

"Landon," Kate spoke quietly. "Meet my parents."

Aaron exchanged a look with his wife. Kate spoke of Landon often and always with friendly affection. He could see the smile skipping across the corners of Emily's mouth and Aaron smiled back briefly before the Agent Hotchner mask slid firmly into place. He saw Landon swallow uncomfortably.

"Um… Hi Mr. Hotchner. Mrs. Hotchner."

"It's Emily," his wife said extending her hand. He bit his cheeks, very used to the good cop bad cop routine they seemed to automatically fall into when it came to their daughters' boyfriends. They could both see the importance of this meeting, glean the depth of emotion Landon felt for Kate. Despite the 'bad cop' persona he put on for Landon, he was glad his daughter had a male outside of their family that she was comfortable with. It made him much more optimistic about Kate's eventual recovery.

"Landon," the boy replied. "It's a real pleasure to meet you both."

Aaron shook the kid's hand with his Agent's grip, his voice serious as he said, "You're friends with Kate?"

"Um yes. Yes sir."

The intimidation was obvious on the poor boy's face as Emily rested her hand on his arm. "Not this time, Aaron. He's been looking out for Katie."

Of course, Aaron was well aware that it had been Landon that had placed the call to Calleigh. That fateful call, the call that had him booking the soonest flight he and Emily could get out to be in New York with their daughter. If it wasn't for Landon, they'd probably never really know what had shaken Kate so terribly. Part of him would be forever grateful to this young man and what he represented to Kate. "Thank you," he said, unable to shrug off all of his 'Agent Voice' despite his lack of suit, but simultaneously managing to inject sincerity into the sentiment.

"Sure," Landon replied. "Um, Kat, I'll just… see you later?"

Emily shot him a questioning look, for which his only answer was a nod. They both knew what the question was, both knew what he was going to do next. Emily turned to Kate.

"I was about to take Kate out for lunch," she said, her eyes moving to rest on Landon. "Why don't you join us? Aaron has something he needs to take care of, so it's just Kate and I for a few hours."

Landon shook his head. "I couldn't impose like that."

"It wouldn't be an imposition at all," Emily argued in a voice her husband recognized swiftly and easily as her persuasive voice. Many an UNSUB during their prime agent years had fallen prey to the naturally convincing nature of that voice. Aaron saw Landon falter.

"Really, Mrs. Hotchner, it's…"

"An excellent idea," Kate's soft voice piped in.

Aaron watched as Landon folded almost immediately and felt a pan of empathy. The Hotchner women had a natural beauty that was easy to fall for and bewitching. He'd seen Emily do it, even after their marriage and without any effort on her part at all, she'd wrapped him around her little finger. He was well aware of what it felt like to be sucker-punched by the dark hair and equally as dark eyes.

"If you're sure." The statement was directed solely at Kate.

The youngest Hotchner woman nodded with a small smile. "I'm positive."

Aaron exchanged a look with Emily. The boy was well and truly gone. Emily ushered her daughter into her room to get her coat and various other paraphernalia, depositing his go-bag and hers just inside Kate's dorm room door. Then she turned back to her husband, her eyes glittering. "Leave me a piece of him," she requested softly but firmly.

"I can't make any guarantees," he murmured back, stepping towards her.

"And don't kill him, Aaron," Emily said her tone dead serious. "I want to see him fry in a court room."

He nodded pressing a quick kiss to her mouth. "I'll see you later."

Emily hummed her agreement. "I mean it, Aaron. Between you and Pen I'm only getting scraps as it is."

He couldn't help the chuckle that reverberated in his chest. The Hotchners had approached Penelope Garcia-Morgan for a favour she was all too happy to follow through on. "I get it, sweetheart," he allowed. "I won't kill him."

"Thank you. Go have fun."

He was certainly planning on it.

For the first time in a long while, Aaron actually wished he was wearing his Agent Hotchner uniform. It wasn't that he was nervous or any such thing, jus that he knew the suit, gun and badge would have made all of this a real, honest-to-God threat instead of angry words from an incensed father. He knocked on the faculty door reading 'Ivan Heap'.

"Come in!"

The cheerfulness in the man's voice made Aaron's blood run cold. This man had abused his daughter, taken advantage of her vulnerability both as a student that wanted to succeed and as a young woman with so much more to see in the world. She'd been starting off in a new city, in a school that she had wanted to be a part of but didn't feel comfortable in and he'd pounced on that open wound and exploited it.

"You're not a student," Heap greeted with a wide smile.

Aaron shook his head, well aware his lips were set in a thin line. "Parent."

"Oh?"

"Katherine Hotchner." His words were clipped, to the point, his entire demeanour screaming unfriendly.

"She's one of my best and brightest."

That shot one of Aaron's eyebrows into the air. "Then tell me, Mr. Heap, do you sexually assault and abuse all of your best and brightest?"

"That's a pretty serious accusation you're making Mr. Hotchner," Heap replied, though his body language virtually screamed his discomfort.

"Agent Hotchner," Aaron corrected coldly. "I am well aware of the seriousness of the situation, the accusation, and of course, the consequences, Mr Heap. Which is why I'm extending the simple courtesy of speaking to you first before we formally go to the police and file the necessary paperwork to press charges."

"It's her word against mine."

That's the best you can do? Aaron scoffed in his head, a frigid smile curling his lips. "You took advantage of an innocent eighteen-year-old girl too afraid of your authority to say 'no'. You took advantage of her hero worship, of her inherent need to please and her yearning to make a living off of something she loves, but is a cutthroat world." He paused, revelling in the fear he could see beneath the indignation. "And you picked the wrong girl, Mr Heap, because not only are you going to have to face the courts, but her mother and I will bring the full force of the Federal Bureau of Investigation down on your head."

Aaron stepped closer to the desk, surprised at how easily the full force of his Agent Hotchner mask still slid into place. It had been a long time since he'd had the inclination to use it.

"You're already ruined, Heap. You'll never teach, perform or so much as touch another student by the time I'm finished with you and by the time the courts are through. You picked the wrong student to mess with." His smile would have kept an ice cube frozen in the deepest, hottest depths of hell.

"I'll see you in court."


	12. JJ, Emily & Pen - December

Emily absently thumbed through the files she carried with her as she stepped through the glass doors of the BAU. As the section chief of their international counterpart, Emily was required to sit in on the weekly meeting with all of the behavioural analysis unit chiefs and her domestic counterpart. The only thing that made her happy about the whole situation was the fact that this was the last scheduled meeting before the winter holidays. And she had all of the winter holidays booked off to spend time with her family. She made a beeline for the little kitchenette she'd gotten so much coffee from in the past, skilfully avoiding Jennifer Reid – née Jareau – who had a newly filled cup of coffee.

"Does it really have to be Monday?" the blond asked. Seeing Emily in the bullpen was nothing new or different. She often stopped by just to chat or to get time out of her solitary office.

"Bad weekend?" Emily replied, setting her files aside while she pulled down a mug from the cupboard.

JJ shook her head. "Not at all, I'm just looking forward to the break."

Emily snorted. "You are preaching to the converted Jayje."

"Oh?" JJ questioned, leaning against the counter.

"Mmhmm. Did Cal not talk to you?" Emily asked, mirroring the media liaison's stance.

"About?"

"Her trip to New York."

"Calleigh went to New York?" Penelope asked, having just stepped in and getting into the conversation.

"Last week," JJ answered with a nod. "She never did tell me why."

"I could use a trip to New York," the technical analyst lamented.

"What happened to you?" JJ inquired, noticing how absolutely drawn their more eccentric counterpart was presenting.

"I drove to Boston this weekend to pick up my daughter from the hospital," Penelope replied with a heavy sigh. "Not even this tea is really helping."

Emily almost choked on her coffee. "Hospital? Is she okay?"

"Physically, she'll be okay. She's got a bone deep bruise just under her ribs, but otherwise... I have no idea."

"What happened?" Emily asked. "Jack always goes to get her."

Penelope sighed heavily. "Gabi had a chemical pregnancy," she replied quietly. "A very early miscarriage."

Both Emily and JJ stepped closer, well aware of the delicate nature of the topic of conversation they were about to delve into.

"Gabi was pregnant?" Emily asked softly. "Does Jack know?"

Gabi and Jack had kept their relationship under the wire, or as under the wire as they could with a family made up of behaviouralists, until the end of October.

Penelope shook her head. "I don't think so. She found out a month ago."

Both Emily and JJ knew that if anyone could understand what it was like to be pregnant and be unsure of how to tell their significant other, it was Penelope. The only difference was that Jack and Gabi were in a relationship, where Gabi's own parents hadn't been.

JJ shook her head in disbelief and sympathy. "She had a miscarriage?"

"She ended up tripping on a coil of wire at MIT, but according to the doctor, she'd probably miscarried earlier than that. She had a friend of hers drive her to the hospital."

Emily echoed JJ's head shake. "Explain to me what we did to get this kind of treatment from the higher powers."

Penelope shrugged.

JJ's eyes narrowed, aware that there was something she didn't know yet. "Is this why we were talking about Cal earlier?"

"They're linked," Emily agreed. "Katie called us that day to tell us she'd been sexually assaulted by her professor."

JJ's eyes widened comically. "Her professor?"

Emily blew out a breath. "Yeah. We do this to make sure these things don't happen." She bit her lip. "You never think it's going to happen to your family."

"You knew?" JJ asked, whirling on Penelope.

Penelope rolled her eyes. "Of course I knew. And he's probably discovered that its rather difficult to use your credit cards when your accounts have been frozen by the FBI."

Both Emily and JJ grinned. Heaven forbid anyone mess with their family.

"So Hotch knows?" JJ asked after a moment.

"Oh yes," Emily said with a dark chuckle. "We went to pick Katie up personally. He had a nice talk with the man."

"Did he leave you anything?" Penelope joked.

"Of course he did," JJ replied with a laugh.

"Only after I made him promise," Emily replied.

Silence fell between the three of them again.

"How do we deal with this?" Penelope asked softly. "A miscarriage, a sexual assault..."

"The only way we can," JJ answered, just as softly. "One step at a time."

Emily glanced up at the conference room above her. "Starting with this damned meeting. I just want to go home and take Katie shopping. Sometimes I wish she was still young enough to just cuddle to make the world better."

Derek Morgan stepped around the corner just then and, hearing Emily's comment said, "I've seen you ladies shop and it's not pretty."

"Watch your mouth, Derek Morgan, or when I take your daughter for some retail therapy I'm going to bring your credit card," Penelope warned, the brightness of her eyes and her affectionate smile belaying the harsh words.

"Come on, Mama, that's just cruel," Derek joked, wrapping an arm around his wife and pressing a kiss to her temple. He wore a suit, a uniform that had become more and more his since taking the section chief job almost eighteen months ago. Their family really was moving on. "Ready Em?"

Emily turned, grabbed her pile of folders and refilled her coffee. "I'm going to need another one of these before we actually sit in with the chiefs, but let's get our pre-meeting started."

"Hey," Penelope stopped the brunette. "Lunch?"

Emily grinned widely as she looked between JJ and Penelope. "Definitely."

And, with JJ's enthusiastic nod of agreement, all three women moved back to their tasks each of them thinking the same thing. It was always important to have friends and family.


	13. Jack - December

Jack took the stairs in Gabi's apartment complex two at a time. It was that time of year, the time where he made his annual trip to MIT and New Haven to pick up his girlfriend, and his sister. He was so glad. He hadn't been able to visit Gabi since his surprise visit over a month and a half ago. His workload and her busy schedule had kept them both busy in different cities. Nevertheless, he could tell there was still something off about her. The last time they'd talked about communication, he had to admit he'd been unsatisfied with its conclusion. This was proof that there was still something off, something wrong, something Gabi very much wasn't tell him. It was so much easier for her to keep things secret when their only form of communication was the phone.

With a deep breath, Jack knocked on Gabi's apartment door. But it wasn't Gabi that opened it.

"Jack!" Vanessa Metraux was a long time friend of Gabi's, their friendship one of the few that went back to the high school years. She sounded absolutely surprised to see him.

"Hey Ness," he replied with a disarming smile, rocking back on his heels with his hands in his pockets. "How are you?"

"Good," she replied.

He could tell she was anxious, tell that she was nervous. He nodded. "Gabi around?"

"Gabi's not here," Vanessa said at the same time.

Jack froze. "What?"

Vanessa slammed her eyes close for a moment before opening them again. "Gabs already went home. Last week."

"She went home last week," he repeated dumbly.

"She didn't tell you?" Vanessa asked, wringing her hands and giving away the fact that she was well aware Gabi hadn't mentioned anything to Jack.

"No. And we talked yesterday."

She chewed her lip. Jack waited patiently. Vanessa was terrible about secrets. Patience and silence usually brought out anything she was keeping back.

This time was no different, as she blurted, "Penelope came to get her after she got out of the hospital."

Jack almost fell over at that announcement. "Hospital?" he choked out. That was definitely something he hadn't expected Vanessa to say.

Vanessa winced.

"Ness... You have to tell me what happened," Jack said quietly.

"I wish I could," Vanessa lamented. "But Gabi hasn't told me anything. And something's been wrong for weeks! Ever since AJ came by a couple of weeks after you left, Gabi's been quiet and withdrawn... She hasn't been talking to me."

Jack felt angry, hurt and guilty all at the same time. He should have made the time to visit her. He was her boyfriend, he was supposed to take care of her. But she needed to actually tell him when something was wrong at the kind of distance that was between them. He wasn't a mind reader and he was at one of the worst disadvantages a boyfriend could be at. Hospitalization was something that was important, something that he needed to know. Not to mention that she'd been in Washington for a week!

"She's been on the phone with AJ a lot," Vanessa revealed quietly. "And I know there's something wrong. Even Penelope wouldn't tell me anything when she came to get a bag of Gabi's stuff before taking her home." Vanessa shook her head. "I'm sorry Jack."

"Sure," Jack murmured. He wasn't sure whether to go with angry, hurt or guilt first, as he made his way back down the stairs. He was still a little out of it when he started the engine and headed off to New Haven.

By the time he reached AJ's building, his brain had already filed through both guilt and hurt. He was right angry, and he must have looked it because AJ stopped dead in her building doorway when she caught sight of him.

"Okay, we haven't seen each other for four months, I'm not running behind, and I'm not bringing half of my apartment home with me for Christmas, so what happened?" she asked warily.

"You tell me," Jack snapped back, yanking open the trunk of his car.

AJ's face went immediately indignant. "I just told you I had no idea what it could have been that I've done to piss you off! I have no idea what's got your panties in a twist." She tossed her bag into the trunk, then stopped, her brow wrinkling. "Where's Gabi's stuff?"

Jack rolled his eyes. "Playing dumb doesn't look good on a girl as smart as you," he answered, moving around to the driver's side.

"Wait," AJ said as she pulled open her own passenger's side door. "You're telling me that you drove to MIT and Gabi wasn't there?"

"As if you didn't know," Jack scoffed.

AJ blew out a breath. "Jack, I had no idea Gabi was going home early."

Jack looked over at her. She wasn't lying, he could tell. "What about the hospital?"

"She was hospitalized too?!" AJ exclaimed.

"Annie, small space," Jack admonished, wincing at her volume. "Ness told me she'd been in the hospital right before Aunt Pen came to pick her up. In fact, that's why Aunt Pen went to pick her up."

AJ put a hand to her forehead, her eyes closing. "This is getting way out of hand. Did you call her?"

"Of course not," he replied, his shoulders heaving as he pulled the car out onto the road.

"Why not?" AJ asked, pulling out her cell phone. "I would have yelled at her something fierce by this point."

Jack reached out, grabbing AJ's wrist. "Annie, don't," he said softly. "There's obviously something wrong. The phone's not the way to go about that."

AJ pouted. "But it's so much easier to yell at her on the phone."

"Ness says you've been talking to her. Do you know what's wrong?"

His sister was quiet for a moment. "Jack, please, don't ask me that."

"I already did," he replied, unable to stop the hope popping up in his heart. "Tell me you know something."

"She's my best friend, Jack. You can't ask me to betray a confidence like that."

"I'm your brother," Jack said scornfully. "I'm her boyfriend."

"There's always things a girl doesn't tell her boyfriend."

But even Jack could tell that was one of AJ's more flimsy arguments. "I deserve to know."

"You do," AJ agreed. "I'm not questioning that, I'm just asking that you not try and get it out of me. Don't make me betray my best friend's confidence. Not on something like this."

Which meant it was a massive secret that Gabi was keeping. More than anything, it didn't help Jack feel better. The hospital, leaving without telling him, keeping secrets...

He was starting to wonder if the relationship was even worth it.


	14. Kate & AJ - December

Kate sat curled up on her bed, her back resting against the pillows. She'd finally told her siblings about what had happened at Julliard. Once she had, there was no way she was going to stay downstairs at the dinner table, didn't want to see the pity and sympathy that was likely to be in their eyes. And even though her parents were well aware of the assault, they didn't know the latter half of the announcement she had intended, and did make.

She wasn't sure she wanted to return to Julliard in the new year.

She didn't want to go back there, didn't want to go back to a place where she had no friends, and teachers who did nothing but criticize every single thing she'd done. He had been the only one to compliment her, and look how that had turned out. She didn't know what she'd do, probably go back to a different institution and give up her Broadway dreams, but maybe Julliard and Broadway just weren't the places for Kate.

A soft knock sounded on her bedroom door before AJ poked her head in with a gentle smile. "Can I?"

Kate nodded.

AJ stepped fully into the room, closing the door behind her before making her way to perch on the edge of Kate's bed. The latter shuffled over, making room for her older sister in the same way they used to do when they were having problems and didn't want to talk to their parents. The elder wrapped her arms around Kate's slim body.

"So you're the family representative?" Kate asked after a moment.

AJ chuckled, tipping her head against Kate's. "Nah, They're still arguing about your decision not to return to Julliard. I'm not even sure they're aware I left."

Kate slid her arms tightly around her sister. "Arguing?"

"You know Mom and Dad," AJ replied, affection and reassurance loud in her voice. "Dad's being overprotective, saying that it's obviously not a safe place and it wasn't a safe place to begin with and you shouldn't go back. Mom's trying to make him see reason. You know, it's your decision to make, we need to stand beside every decision you make no matter what..."

Kate swallowed. "So do you agree with Mom or Daddy?"

AJ shrugged. "I can see why you wouldn't want to go back. There's no doubt that... that what you went through... It was traumatic Katie, there's no doubt about that. No one's questioning that. And there isn't a single member of this family that doesn't want to rip him limb from limb. Or worse."

Kate swallowed thickly, tightening her arms around AJ's body. She still didn't like talking about it, thinking about it, or hearing about it.

"And at the end of the day," AJ continued softly, "the decision is yours. No matter what I say, or Jack says, or Mom or Dad... This is your decision to make. You need to do what you feel the most comfortable with."

"But you have an opinion," Kate said.

AJ snorted in amusement. "I'm in law and polisci classes at Yale, of course I have an opinion."

That got a chuckle out of the younger Hotchner sister. "You going to share with the class?"

AJ took a deep breath. "You know how when we were kids, we used to ask Mom and Dad why they had to leave? Why they did what they did?" AJ asked, one hand starting to stroke her hair.

The latter nodded. "They used to tell us they were making the world safer for us and for kids just like us. They were making sure the bad guys didn't win."

"Exactly," AJ nodded. "Broadway's always been your dream, Katie. Like... There isn't a time when you didn't love performing. You've been singing and dancing since I can remember." She shrugged. "If you don't go back, it feels like you're letting the bad guy win."

They were both silent for a few moments before Kate spoke. "What if he's right Annie? I'm not going to..." She shivered at the thought of allowing someone to use her body for the sake of a part. "That's not right."

What if he's wrong? You got into Julliard to begin with, so you've got to be there for a reason. They wouldn't have accepted you if you didn't have talent," AJ pointed out, logically. "What if he's wrong and you're giving up on the one dream you've had since you were... since before you knew you were going to have a job. Is that a risk you're willing to take?"

Kate had to admit, that was a pretty good argument. There wasn't a place in the world Kate was happier than on a stage, belting out her favourite show tunes. The stage was a second home to her.

"You've never been one to give up that easily and we both know that not everyone in the world is the same as the bastard that did that to you."

Kate shivered.

"If Broadway's your dream, Katie, then dropping out of Julliard could potentially be dropping that dream. It's letting the bad guys win."

Kate curled tighter into her sister. AJ made some excellent points, there was no doubt about that. But as much as Kate adored her sister, AJ and Kate's lives at their respective post-secondary institutions were very different. At Yale, AJ had no worries about what her professors thought about her, no worries as to whether she was going to come out of a class with a pass or a fail. She'd never questioned whether she belonged in Yale or not and she had friends on that campus. Not to mention that AJ had always thrived in a competitive environment.

Kate, on the other hand, wasn't a confrontational person. She didn't thrive in competitive environment because she felt too much for others, wanted others to do well ahead of herself. The only place she showed everything, showed her confidence in herself, and her true personality, the only place she came out of her quiet shell was when she was on stage. The only real friend she had at Julliard, the only person she really felt she could trust was Landon.

Kate had no idea if that was enough for her.


	15. Derek & Pen - December

Derek was not an unobservant man. He hadn't made it to where he was in the BAU by being blind. He'd made it to section chief because he knew when to keep his mouth closed. Which was why it was a few weeks before he brought up the subject of discussion his wife had been immersed in with her best friends a few days prior. He managed to wait patiently until he was home and preparing for bed with his wife before saying, "You, Em and JJ looked pretty deep in conversation a couple of days ago, Mama."

Penelope met his eyes in the bathroom mirror where she was removing her makeup. "Did we now?"

He smiled disarmingly, coming into the bathroom to press a kiss to her cheek and stroke a hand down her back. "Important girl talk?"

"I haven't been a girl for many years, lover," she replied, with a coy smile.

"Oh trust me, gorgeous," Derek answered, the heat in his voice unmistakable. His hand brushed her ass, snaking around to press against her stomach. "I'm aware of how much a woman you are."

She chuckled, a low sound as she turned and pressed her lips hotly against his. "Too much for you?"

"Never," he murmured against her mouth. He kissed her once more, then pulled away, trying not to get too absorbed in the kiss. He was, after all, still curious as to the deep conversation his wife had had with her best friends. "Anything I should know?"

She looked dazed for a moment, before picking up the thread of the conversation. She did have plenty to tell him, but none of it was happy subject matter. Nevertheless, it wasn't just his immediate family – after all, he deserved to know about Gabi – but his extended one too. "Actually, yeah."

That was not the answer he'd been hoping for, or even expecting. Usually, if it was something he was supposed to know, it was that she had plans, but he could tell it wasn't quite that simple. "Oh?"

"Remember last month when I was up all night and it wasn't for a case?" she asked, heading out of the master bath. She didn't bother to hide her nerves, no matter how much it could potentially worry him.

Derek nodded slowly, stopping in the middle of their bedroom while she continued on to the vanity to put away her jewellery.

"I was," she began, "for lack of a better phrase, ruining someone's life."

"What happened?" he asked, immediately concerned.

Penelope swallowed. There was no delicate way to deliver the news she was about to tell him. "He touched Kate."

"Touched, touched?" Derek asked, after a moment.

"They're filing criminal charges," she agreed softly.

He had to sit down, or worry that his knees were going to dump him unceremoniously into an undignified heap on the floor. "Kate's just a kid."

She went immediately into crisis control. "Everything's been done, my love. Em said Hotch had a... chat... with the nam, and I did my thing, plus, the criminal charges... It's all been addressed."

He pulled her into his lap. "Are you sure?"

"Beyond actual physical harm, it's all been taken care of," Penelope swore.

But she was still tense against him, cluing Derek into the fact that there was definitely something else she needed to tell him. "Come on, Mama. Out with it."

She took his hands in hers. "It's about our daughter."

"Ellie?" his brow wrinkled in deep concern. "You know what's wrong?" He'd noticed there was something off with Gabi since Penelope had brought her home almost a week ago. "Is everything okay with her and Jack?"

"I can honestly say I'm not sure," his wife responded, threading their fingers together. "They haven't spoken much in the last week." She took a deep breath. "Gabi was pregnant."

Derek froze. Pregnant?! "I'll kill him."

But this was the reaction Penelope had anticipated and strengthened her grip on his fingers. "You will do no such thing, Derek Morgan," she ordered sharply.

He looked absolutely livid and indignant. "That's my daughter!"

"She's my daughter too, if you remember," the blond snapped back, and you are going to listen to me with an open mind before you rush off and do something utterly moronic."

"Baby girl-"

"Not a chance." She waited until she was sure she had as much of his papa bear attention. "Jack does not know." That was the most important thing to get out of the way. "She didn't know how to tell him, so she never did."

Derek growled. It did lessen his anger, but only by the most miniscule amount.

Penelope felt her eyes start to sting as she decided how to explain the situation. Parenthood was one of the most rewarding gifts she'd ever been given and her heart ached for her daughter. Just because Penelope firmly believed Gabi and Jack were still too young to have a child didn't mean it didn't hurt as a parent to discover Gabi's baby hadn't even had a heartbeat before she'd lost it. Her hands came up to cup her husband's cheeks.

"She miscarried, Derek," she explained softly. "Very early on, but not before we knew. When we came home, she'd just been released from the hospital. She never found a way to tell Jack. You know Jack's a good man, Derek. You trust him with Gabi more than anyone else."

"But pregnant! Do you know what that means?"

"I've been pregnant twice, Derek, I think I have a pretty good idea of what it means," she pointed out with a raised eyebrow. She smoothed her thumbs over his cheekbones as she smiled softly. "You're naive to think Jack's her first."

Logically, Derek understood that. He'd been young once upon a time, and he had his own fair share of the opposite sex before settling down. Moreover, his wife, as usual, had been very right. It had actually made him extremely happy to discover Gabi and Jack were dating. He knew Jack, he trusted Jack. The eldest Hotchner had been there for his daughter through thick and thin.

"On this one I'm right, Hot Stuff," Penelope whispered in his ear. She kissed his cheek as she pulled back. "This is between Gabi and Jack. She's too old for her daddy to come in as her white knight."

"She's still my baby girl."

"But she's growing," Penelope said softly. "Right now, she just needs our support. She knows she's going to have to tell Jack eventually."

Derek blew out a heavy breath. It was overwhelming. Kate and his own daughter... "Pen-"

"I know," his wife replied. She pressed a kiss to his forehead. "Come on. Sleep on it. See how you feel in the morning."

"And if I still want to kill Jack?"

"I'm still going to tell you it's a bad idea," she replied, almost in a sing-song voice. She felt much better now that Derek knew everything, now that she wasn't hiding the fact that her daughter – their daughter – had been pregnant, even if only for a split second. "I think Hotch could take you on and still win, even though he's been teaching at the Academy."

Derek snorted as he stood, pulling back the blankets before sliding in beside Penelope, pulling her body close. "I doubt it."


	16. Gabi & Jack - December

Gabi stared at the snow-filled backyard childhood home. It was the same position she'd been in since she'd returned home. Thankfully, no one had bothered her. Not even her brother, who had always taken great pride in his ability to drive her insane, had so much as knocked on her door. In most ways, Gabi was extremely thankful. Her time had been spent thinking.

How was she supposed to tell Jack she'd been pregnant?

Everything was more complicated now. She was dealing with the miscarriage, let alone having to tell someone else. Most especially considering this was Jack. He'd been through so much with her, there was no doubt about that. But this... Neither of them had even considered pregnancy. It had never crossed either of their minds. And most of the time, it didn't have to do with their relationship. This, however, had everything to do with their relationship. The fatalist in Gabi seriously thought that unless she played her cards right, she was going to lose Jack.

And she was starting to come to the conclusion that losing Jack would be utterly devastating.

Which was terrifying in itself. Gabi had never given anyone her heart. She'd had a handful of boyfriends – okay, more than a handful – but she'd never considered trusting anyone enough to just hand over her heart. But with Jack, she hadn't even realized she'd even done it. But considering how absolutely terrifying the prospect of losing him was, there really wasn't another explanation Gabi could come up with. It made her how-to-tell-Jack conversation that much more complicated. How was he supposed to deal with the idea of a child that no longer existed?

A knock startled her. "Come in."

Her heart rate spiked when her brain realized that she had no more time to think about how to tell Jack about her pregnancy. He was standing in her bedroom.

He stayed at her door, closing it behind him. "Do you know why your dad was trying to kill me with his eyes?" he asked quietly.

But Gabi could tell that he was tense. His voice wasn't as light as it usually was, the set of him too straight. "Maybe," she replied softly.

Jack's shoulders slumped and Gabi realized he was dropping all pretences. "I thought we were okay, Monkey."

Tears sprang to her eyes, fear and desperation clawing at her stomach. "We were!"

"Obviously not." His eyes looked so incredibly anguished. "Things aren't okay. They haven't been okay since you went back to MIT."

Gabi knew it. She'd felt it the first time. She didn't have to tell Jack the distance was extremely difficult.

"I know it's hard," Jack continued when she didn't say anything. He did step closer and that comforted her a little. "I miss you Gabi. I really do. I feel like... like the Gabi I knew is gone. I want things to work between us, but it's not a one way street. I can't keep fighting for something when I don't have any allies."

Her stomach actually turned at the thought. Violently, and she had to close her eyes for a moment while the nausea passed. "Are you breaking up with me?" she finally whimpered.

"I don't want to," Jack replied. "But... I wonder if you do."

"NO!" Gabi exclaimed.

"I can't make a relationship work by myself. I don't know what else to do."

Gabi pushed herself up. "I know I... I haven't been the best girlfriend. Jack, I know. And... there was no excuse, just..."

Jack cupped her cheeks. Gabi hadn't realized he'd moved. "I don't want to break up with you, sweetheart."

Gabi locked her arms around his waist and she revelled in the fact that he wrapped his arms back around her. There was nothing she could do about the tears that started rolling down her face.

"I need you to talk to me," he whispered into her hair. "The distance is hard, Monkey. I need to be able to trust that you're telling me everything I deserve to know. You used to share everything with me."

Gabi pulled back, wiping at her eyes with one hand. She didn't dare let go of him. Her heart started beating faster. "Jack. There's something you should know." She pulled him over to her bed.

Jack sat almost reluctantly. "Are you going to sit?"

She shook her head, taking his hands. "Um... You have to promise me that you're going to hear me out, okay? Start to finish. This isn't going to be easy."

"Okay," Jack said warily.

Gabi couldn't look him in the eye. "A month ago, after you came up to surprise me, I realized... I was late." She felt Jack tense up where her hands rested on his shoulders. "I called Annie. If... If it was a false alarm... I didn't want to freak you out or make you panic prematurely. We've only been together a couple of months – we haven't even hit the six-month mark, for Pete's sake – and already a pregnancy scare..." She shook her head. "But... It wasn't a false alarm."

"What?" Jack breathed. "A month ago?!"

"You promised you'd hear me out," she reminded him. "Last week, I, um, tripped. Over wires. In the servers. I fell on something, on my stomach..."

Jack's eyes widened.

"I had Clint take me to the hospital," she continued softly, her eyes falling to lock on one of his jean-clad knees. "The doctor told me that I was never pregnant. Well," she tipped her head to the side, "Not quite. It's... It's called a chemical pregnancy. I, um, miscarried before I was ever really pregnant." She took a deep breath. "I called my mom. I didn't know what to tell you or how to tell you... Mom brought me home. I... I could barely face the situation myself. For a month there, I really thought I was going to have a child. Then... it was gone." She still wouldn't meet his eyes and kept them fixed on his knee.

"Can I talk now?"

The silence had stretched too long, but his voice was surprisingly gentle. Still, Gabi could do nothing but nod.

"Look, Gabs," Jack sighed, "I can't lie and say that I'm not hurt by the fact that you're just telling me now. That kind of stuff... I mean, my own sister knew. And more than that you didn't tell me you were home. I drove to MIT like I do every year and Vanessa was the one to tell me not only were you not there, but your mother had come to get you after you were in the hospital.

"You should have told me," he ploughed on. "And... I know it couldn't be easy, I can tell now that it wasn't easy but... If we really want to make this work, you can't bottle things up like this."

Gabi chewed her lip. "I... I never want to worry you," she said quietly. "With the distance...I don't want you worrying over something you can't control or you can't help me with because you're in Washington and I'm in Boston."

"That doesn't matter," Jack replied. "I'd rather know and worry than know you're holding back from me. If it's important to you, if it's worrying you, it's worrying me, okay? The same way it does you."

That much was true. They'd had many conversations over the years that focused on his frustrations with the parolees he was in charge of, or something he was dissatisfied with in terms of the system he fought for.

"Gabi, this is just a deeper friendship," he emphasized. "This is no different than the way we hung out over the years, okay? You have to believe that."

"I do," she said, but it was the first time she'd meant it. The fact that losing him would be so utterly devastating attested to the fact that he was way too much a part of her life for her to consider breaking that trust. Not now. "I did a lot of thinking, Jack. This... it does mean a lot to me. It means the world to me. I figured it would be easy, you know? I didn't account that I'd want to see you all the time, that I'd miss you more now, knowing you're mine, than I did when you weren't."

"It's just a few more months," Jack pointed out, his hands coming up to rest on her hips. "You'll be done school."

"I'm moving to Baltimore and we both know it," Gabi replied, her voice harsh but soft. "I can't ask you to make that move."

And really, there was the chance they wouldn't make it that far. Neither of them wanted to think that way, neither of them were really willing to put voice to the thought, but the way Jack was looking at her made her think that, no matter how small, it was still a possibility.

"You won't have to," he said, regardless of whatever else was running through his head. "It's not about asking, Gabs. I can be a parole officer anywhere. NSA is kind of specific."

She cupped his cheek, a real, genuine smile coming through. "I'm sorry, Jack," she said after a moment. "Truly sorry I didn't tell you anything before now, that you're getting all of this lumped on you at once."

His one hand moved around to rest on her stomach, his eyes locking on that movement. "You were actually pregnant?"

"For a split second," she agreed sadly. "Then... I wasn't."

When he looked up at her, there was an intensity in his eyes that made her insides warm and made her shudder. "Someday, sweetheart."

Her hand rested over his. Someday.


	17. AJ - December

Anna-Joy Hotchner could work a room.

They'd been going to the same functions for how long now? And yet Vaughan hadn't been half as aware of her any of those times as he was at that particular moment. He'd never watched close enough to see how she flitted from one conversation to the next the perfect epitome of grace, charm and beauty. More than that, she was playing in circles Vaughan yearned to be in but had never broken.

"Cliff, man, there you are!"

Vaughan turned away from watching AJ, tryin with all his might to erase his pleasure at AJ's choice of Christmas-appropriate and completely demure red halter dress. "Chuckie, glad you made it."

Charles Black was a friend in the political game, a soon-to-be alumni of Harvard because that was his legacy. "What does it look like?"

Vaughan's eyes were immediately and once again drawn to AJ. The question had nothing to do with the political nature of this particular Christmas party and everything to do with the young ladies in attendance.

Charles wolf-whistled as he followed Vaughan's gaze. "Hotchner? We're feeling terribly ambitious then. Stronger men have tried and failed spectacularly with our little Ice Queen."

But Vaughan knew so much more about AJ. He was well aware she was more of a spitfire than an ice queen. Still, in this arena, she played the beautiful, regal, unattainable ice queen to it's hilt. He felt Charles slap his shoulder good-naturedly. "Good Luck, man."

AJ knew he was there, had known from the second she stepped in the door. Her eyes had been drawn to him and she'd had to exercise every ounce of incredible, genetically inherited will power to keep her eyes on her conversations and not straying to Vaughan. Unfortunately for her, Gabi, standing beside her, her arm looped through Jack's, had most definitely noticed.

"He's on his way, you know," she murmured, just below the buzzing conversation of their circle. It consisted of only family with the exception of Kate – who hadn't felt like going out – and Seth, who maintained that he had better things to do than kiss up to the elites while dressed in a stuffy suit.

Gabi nudged her. "Who is he? He's cute!"

"He's Vaughan Cliff," AJ said with a heavy sigh. "The royal pain in my rear end."

Gabi's gaze was knowing as it met AJ's. "Me thinks the lady doth protest too much."

AJ groaned. "Gabs, you have got to be kidding me."

"Not in the slightest," Gabi replied. "I know you, Annie. You like that there's someone who can match you. You like that he has opposing views to yours and can debate with you and 'win'."

"I'm not the type to go for the bad boy, and that's exactly what Vaughan is," AJ argued softly.

"Then he's just right to stir up your perfect little world," Gabi shot back.

"I do not live in a perfect little world," AJ murmured petulantly.

"Fine, whatever you say, but there's absolutely no harm in indulging yourself. There's no rule book that says you have to be dating the guy to have some fun," Gabi muttered quickly.

AJ found out why when Vaughan's scent assaulted her a moment later. "AJ."

His cordiality made her respond with the same. "Vaughan. Fancy meeting you here."

"I'm here every year, as if you haven't noticed."

AJ shot a look to her parents, both of whom were watching with rapt attention and interest. "Mom, Dad, this is Vaughan Cliff. He attends Yale with me."

"You're in the same classes?" her mother inquired politely.

"A few," Vaughan answered with a charming smile that had never worked on AJ. From the glint in her mother's eyes, it wasn't working on her either.

Her paternal grandmother, was another story entirely. "Another Eli," Gabrielle said, the pleasure obvious in her voice. "How charming."

AJ resisted the urge to wince as Vaughan continued to charm her Hotchner grandparents and even her mother's father. She looked pleadingly to Gabi.

Why not? Gabi mouthed unhelpfully.

AJ found herself sighing, looking down into her drink. She hated Vaughan, didn't she? And yet all she'd been able to focus on whenever he was near was the smell of him, the same smell that had assaulted her senses at Halloween just seconds before he'd kissed her in that dark New Haven alley. And Gabi, as was often the case, was right. There was nothing wrong with having a little fun. Vaughan was irritating as hell, but he was a fantastic kisser. And with that, her mind was made up. "Vaughan, may I have a word? In private?"

"Lead on."

AJ actually took his hand, surprising them both as she tugged them through the crowd. Once out of the ballroom, AJ started searching for an empty room, somewhere private she could talk to Vaughan. Or not talk to him, whichever came first.

"Would you like my suggestion?" Vaughan asked, an irritating cheeriness in his voice.

"Not particularly," AJ replied.

"Come on, Hotch, give me a little credit," Vaughan said, tugging on her hand a little. "Trust me."

"Never in a million years," AJ shot back, even as she gave into the insistent tug on her hand. He pulled her through the winding halls of the mansion. She was surprised when he led her outside instead of upstairs. "Where are we going?" she asked, trying to ignore the bitter cold that was forcing gooseflesh on her arms.

"Trust me."

She huffed, but continued to allow him to slide around the corner of the house, taking her with him.

"I figure this is as good a place as any. Gives you privacy to kill me, too."

AJ sighed. "I'm not going to kill you."

Vaughan's eyebrow went up. "You're not?"

"No," AJ admitted.

"Then I'm intrigued," Vaughan said in a low voice. "What on earth could you want to talk to me about? It's not classes, it is? Because it's Christmas, Hotch. I know you're an overachiever and all, but at least wait until after New Years' to crack open the new textbooks."

AJ shook her head, leaning back against the mansion, trying to ignore the cold bite of the brick and simultaneously sliding back into the shadows. "Not school."

Vaughan reached for her, his hands landing on her hips. "No?"

AJ shook her head again, her hands coming to rest tentatively on his biceps. "No."

"Then I'm confused, Hotch," Vaughan said as he stepped closer, lowering his voice and snaking one hand behind her back. "What do you want?"

She raised her head, every inch of the ice queen on the outside, but there wasn't a trace of shyness or vulnerability in her gaze. "I think you know what I want," she replied, cursing the tremble she could hear in her voice.

Vaughan stepped closer again, aligning their bodies and chasing the cold from AJ's veins. "I want you to say it, Annie."

She wasn't sure if it was the cadence of his voice or the use of her intimate nickname, but AJ found her arms winding tighter around his neck. "You."

His mouth met hers and AJ found herself falling into Vaughan's kiss as swiftly as she had two months ago. His heat was at her front, arms wrapped solidly around her back and AJ realized she couldn't concentrate on anything but that. The cold of the winter was gone from her mind replaced with the smell and feel of Vaughan Cliff.

"I still hate you," she said when they pull apart briefly for air.

"Sure," Vaughan acquiesced before diving in again.

She kissed him for a few more moments before pulling away. "I mean it."

"Right," Vaughan agreed. "You hate me. Understood."

AJ nodded, her mouth right against Vaughan's. "Good."

Gabi grinned as she watched AJ drag Vaughan away. Jack's face seemed less than impressed. "Oh, come on Jack," Gabi cajoled.

"Don't use that tone of voice with me, Gabs," Jack said. "What the hell is she thinking?"

"What does it matter? Gabi asked in amusement. "She's been old enough to make her own decisions for a while." Not to mention that while AJ and Mike had been adorable in high school, and AJ had genuinely liked the boy, the last time Gabi had truly felt like her friend enjoyed spending time with a guy was her summer fling with another one of the more affluent crowd.

Jack's gaze darkened. "You encouraged her, didn't you?"

"So what if I did?" Gabi asked. "She's you sister, Jack. It's not like you can keep her locked up in a tower forever. Dance with me." She pulled him towards the dance floor.

"He's a terrible influence," Jack muttered.

"You don't know that," Gabi replied. "Focus on dancing with me and leave your sister alone."


	18. AJ - January

AJ laughed heartily as she pulled out the key to her apartment. "Thanks guys," she said affectionately, holding the phone between her ear and her shoulder. Her parents had called to sing her happy birthday over the phone, the same way they'd done every year since she'd moved to Yale.

"So, what are you doing for your birthday?" her father asked.

AJ sighed. "I don't know," she admitted. "With Kate and Gabi... I don't even think I realized my birthday was coming up until last week."

"You have to do something," her mother ordered. "It's not every day you turn twenty-one, you know."

AJ pushed open her front door with a roll of her eyes opening her mouth to reply to her mother.

"SURPRISE!"

AJ jumped eight feet in the air, dropping her book bag and almost her phone in the process. She put a hand on her heart as the organ jumped. "Holy crap."

"Annie?" her father asked in concern.

"I'm okay, Dad," she replied, her mouth spreading into a wide grin. "I have to go. I'll call you guys tomorrow, okay?"

"I love you," her father said.

"Love you, sweetheart," her mother agreed.

"I love you guys too." Then she hung up the phone, her eyes automatically seeking out one of her roommates. Both Jessica and Ashlynn raced forward almost immediately, both of them wrapping their arms around AJ with a squeal.

"Oh my gosh! It took you forever to get home and we were so excited!" Ashlynn gushed.

AJ shook her head slightly, dark hair falling from behind her ear. "How long have you guys been planning this?" The place looked awesome, decorated with all sorts of cheesy birthday paraphernalia.

Jessica and Ashlynn exchanged a guilty look. "We didn't."

"Of course you did," AJ said with a roll of her eyes.

"Uh, no, Annie," Jessica denied. "We just helped out. The planning kudos go to Vaughan, actually."

Vaughan. AJ's heart did a little patter, as it had started doing almost in anticipation when his name was mentioned, when it came up on her caller ID... Their friends-with-benefits relationship was a month old, so it didn't make sense to AJ that he would go through all of this obvious effort for her birthday. She didn't even know he knew when her birthday was. "Vaughan planned this?"

"We didn't even ask him," Ashlynn said. "He came to us to ask us if we had anything planned. But, you know, it's usually the three of us. We just go out for dinner and cake. He said that wasn't good enough for twenty-one."

Of course not. Twenty-one was the legal drinking age. She doubted anything other than a massive blow out would satisfy Vaughan for a birthday celebration of this magnitude.

"Come on!" Jessica squealed. "There's cake and presents and celebrating to do!"

"You know, you keep this kind of thing up, she's going to start thinking you care."

Vaughan tore his eyes away from watching AJ laugh and joke to look over at Ashlynn. She wasn't looking at him, so he turned back to watching AJ. He didn't want to respond to that, had nothing really to say. Agreeing with her would be too dangerous and disagreeing would be lying. Anna-Joy Hotchner had been on his radar since the moment he'd met her and he had done everything to make it look like the opposite. It would do neither of them good to start a relationship. Too much of it would be seen as political and as he'd quickly learned, AJ wasn't one for politics. She played it well, but that didn't mean she liked it.

And honestly, part of him was terrified that she'd be eaten alive by his family. Sure, she ran in better circles than he did, seemed to have friends in places his family could only dream of, but he wasn't totally sure that, when the cards were down, AJ would be ready to step up. There was no doubt in his mind that she could take on his parents if she wanted.

"Vaughan?"

"I'm listening."

"This was a good thing you did for her," Ashlynn said honestly. "You've been good for her in the last month. She's never quite as tense these days and since you're the only thing that's changed in her life, I'm going to go with you being the cause." Then there was a pause. "And she doesn't hate you as much as she says she does."

That caught Vaughan's attention, though he managed to resist snapping his head towards Ashlynn. He pulled out his usual smirk. "Trust me, I know."

She shook her head, though there was a small smile on her face. "Not like that, Vaughan. I mean really and truly."

Vaughan was actually thankful to get a whiff of AJ's shampoo seconds before she was beside him. "So I hear it's you I have to thank for this," she said cheerfully, her eyes shining.

Vaughan vaguely saw Ashlynn leaving out of the corner of his eye as he focused completely on the dark haired woman in front of him. "Now, Hotch, I can't take all of the credit. I had a lot of help."

"Obviously," she replied, "Though I wouldn't put it past you to break in here to make this happen, I'm pretty sure you're just scared enough of Ashlynn not to risk it."

He smirked as he ran his fingers down her arm. The dark green sweater did fantastic things to the paleness of her skin and the darkness of her eyes. "Well now that I know it won't be surprising, I may do such a thing. I want to see what kind of secrets you're keeping in your dresser."

She snorted. "As if I keep anything of worth in my dresser," she replied.

"I'm not talking about monetary value, Hotch."

"Neither am I," she said mischievously. She cocked her head to the side. "Can we take a walk?"

They didn't touch as they made their way out of the apartment, grabbing their coats on the way. January in New Haven was not warm in any sense of the word. Vaughan easily helped AJ into her coat in the apartment lobby and they made their way outside into the cold. They made it around the corner then she turned to him, grasping his hands.

"You didn't have to do this," she told him quietly, her smile wide.

It was obvious to him that she was pleased by it. "I'm glad you liked it."

"I didn't tell you I did."

"You didn't have to," he told her, releasing one of her hands to cup her cheek and stroke over the soft skin.

"Your inner teddy bear is showing," she whispered. It was their way of distancing themselves when things got to intimate, too tender. She was feeling it now, feeling a little overwhelmed at how far Vaughan had gone for her birthday.

And he wasn't finished yet. "I have your present."

"You got me a present?" she asked, her eyes widening slightly.

"Well, it is your birthday, right?" he asked with a grin. He pulled a little package out of his pocket.

AJ managed to not catch her breath as he slid a rectangular box from his pocket. "If this is jewelery..."

"You'll never know until you open it," he replied with a smile.

AJ slowly removed the paper from the package. Inside, was simply a book. Except, to AJ it wasn't just any book. Sherlock Holmes was a love she'd picked up from her father. He had his own first edition copy from his childhood. AJ's copy was neither a first edition, nor a beauty. It had been read too many times not to look well-loved. "Vaughan," she breathed. "How did you know?"

He shrugged. "I know I'm not supposed to, but I listen when you talk."

"Vaughan, it's... It's a first edition," she breathed.

"They're not that hard to find when you know where to look," he replied with another shrug.

"This is..." She didn't have words. She just shook her head again before throwing her arms around his neck and kissing him for all she was worth. "Thank you," she said quietly when she pulled away.

He kept his arms wrapped around her. "Happy birthday, Annie."


	19. Kate - Late January

Kate sat on the bed of her dorm room, her head in her hands. Testifying had been the hardest thing she'd had to do in a very long time and it was something she definitely never wanted to do again. It had dredged up all of the memories she wanted to keep buried, everything she hadn't wanted to say. She'd been labelled all sorts of things in that court room, things that weren't all nice and certainly didn't need to be repeated. Ever.

Her mother, Aunt Jen and Aunt Pen had all cried. Uncle Derek had looked outright livid and Grandpa Dave had even come. AJ, Jack and Seth all sat in the courtroom, Calleigh there too, none of them willing to let her go through any of it alone. It was a surprisingly large group of people that had come out to show support, especially considering the few people Kate had mentioned it to. Of course, she should have known that when something traumatic happened, they banded together. They always had.

"Kat?"

It was her name accompanied by a knock and there was only one person in the world that called her 'Kat'. Landon had been sitting with the rest of her family in the court room, listening and watching her carefully. More than once, through the most painful parts, she fixed her eyes on him. She didn't call out, and he tried the door on it's own. She'd left it unlocked knowing someone would come to find her eventually.

After giving her testimony, she hadn't been able to stay in the courthouse, let alone the courtroom. She wasn't needed anymore, both the prosecution and defence had agreed on that much, and Kate had left. She would have preferred to go home, where she was safe, but the second best place was Julliard. She'd decided over the holidays that she was indeed going to come back. If she didn't think she could do another semester after this one, then she'd walk away, try a different school, a different degree, a different career.

"You left fast." Landon closed the door behind him with a click. She wasn't afraid of Landon, so it wasn't closing off an escape. He'd been there for each step and she trusted him implicitly.

"I couldn't stay," she responded quietly. "I just..."

"You didn't have to stay," Landon interrupted quietly. "Your parents were worried."

That brought a slight smile to her face. Her parents were always worried about her these days. She knew that they were concerned with her return to Julliard, her father most of all. He was protective of his girls.

He'd barely stepped in the door, waiting for a signal from her, for her to tell him that it was okay to step further into the room. He'd been doing that a lot since the assault, checking, waiting for her permission, going slow. She appreciated it more than she could say. Kate patted the bed next to her, unsurprised when Landon was beside her in an instant, picking up one of her hands.

"You did awesome, Kat," he told her quietly.

"I don't feel awesome," she mumbled into his shirt.

Landon chuckled, wrapping his arm around her instead. He'd done some reading on assault victims and he'd been surprised that Kate wanted to spend time with him. Everything he'd read had basically pointed to her being afraid of men. He was very glad Kate wasn't afraid of him. "I bet."

"I feel kicked around. Can this be over now?"

He wanted nothing more than to take it away for her. He'd fallen for Kate, head over feet. Her smile made him smile. Her frowns upset him. Seeing her so broken, broke him. "I wish it was," he promised.

"Did they hand down the verdict?"

"I didn't stay," he replied. "Which reminds me, you need to contact your parents."

For once, Kate didn't roll her eyes at the over-protectiveness. Her hand balled in Landon's shirt instead. "That was the worst thing I've ever gone though," she mumbled. And that was saying something. She still remembered the utter terror of hearing her mother kidnapped over the phone. She was young, but she remembered it, and she remembered clinging to her mother for months afterwards.

Her hand gripped his shirt tighter. "What if he's not convicted?"

"Don't think like that," Landon scolded his hands weaving through her long dark hair. He didn't know what else to tell her. He wasn't a lawyer and he most certainly wasn't in law school. He had no idea if Kate's case was solid or not and no way to tell. He couldn't reassure her and that was driving him crazy. "Come on," he cajoled. "Let's go get some ice cream. That little place you love so much. I'll buy, whatever you want."

Kate turned her head, her smile the biggest and most genuine Landon had seen in days. "You're on."

They were wandering in Chinatown when Kate's cell phone chimed happily. Instead of being excited, Kate stiffened. Landon, standing not far away at a vendor, was at her side in an instant.

"I don't want to look," Kate whispered, closing her eyes.

"Yes you do," Landon encouraged. "Either way, Kat, you need to know."

She took a deep breath, feeling his warmth at her side as she pulled her cell phone from her purse. She had to open her eyes to accept the text message from her mother and opened it.

Call me.

That was it.

Kate huffed out a breath as she scrolled to her mother's name in her phone book. Landon's hand was at her back, rubbing soothing circles. Or, at least, she knew they were meant to be soothing.

"Hey, honey."

"Mom, what's going on?" Kate asked quickly, dispensing with any and all preliminaries. She just needed to know. She had to know. She deserved to know.

Emily Hotchner let out a breath and Kate could tell immediately her mother wasn't exactly sure what to think of the newest development. "The trial's been postponed."

"Postponed?" Kate asked in confusion. This nightmare was going to continue? That didn't make sense! She'd gotten up, testified, re-victimized herself in front of strangers, and she wasn't going to get the satisfaction out of it?

"The prosecution has new evidence," her mother explained patiently. "Both sides need time to go over it, to authenticate it. I'm sorry, honey."

Kate felt a tear leaking out of her eye. Why couldn't any of her nightmares just end? "Mommy,"

"I know, sweetheart," Emily said softly. "It's for the better, okay? I'll get your father to talk to the prosecutor, see if there's anything she can tell us. If the prosecution has new evidence, we're pretty much guaranteed that it's against your teacher."

That didn't console Kate as much as her mother had intended and the heavy sigh the younger woman let out conveyed it. "I don't have to..."

"No," Emily said firmly. "Your part in this is done. Now, we just wait."

Kate hung up the phone and looked down at it. She hated waiting, hated it with every bit of her heart and soul. The last time she'd had to wait like this, it had been because no one around her was sure her mother was going to come home alive.

"What happened?"

Landon's soft voice permeated her thoughts, bringing her attention fully to him. "Um," she chewed her lip, "New evidence came up. We're not getting a verdict."

Then, despite the fact that she and Landon were in the middle of Chinatown, Kate found herself bursting into tears. All she wanted was for it all to go away. She wanted it to be over, she wanted the chance to get on with her life. As Landon wrapped his arms around her she cried harder.

Damn Ivan Heap! Damn him to the pits of hell!


	20. AJ - Late January

Vaughan looked at his cell phone for the millionth time. He was waiting for AJ's next text message on her sister's trial. Kate Hotchner had come up first the previous week when Vaughan had paused while AJ explained to one of their professor's that she wouldn't be in class the next week. It had taken him hours and spoiling her with an excellent dinner for the whole story to come out.

And then he'd been utterly floored.

But AJ had gone off to New York and he was still in New Haven. And much to his surprise, he actually flat out missed her. He kept looking for her texts, her calls, and was actually concerned with the outcome of the case.

"Cliff, what is going on with you?"

Vaughan looked up, surprised. He was in a bar. It was Thursday, the right place for him to be, but his mind was in New York. His heart was in New York.

"Nothing," he answered.

One of the girls hanging off his arm – one that he hadn't been paying much attention to because his mind was firmly on a different brunette – tried to crane her neck to see his phone. "Doesn't look like nothing. Waiting for an important call?"

Actually the verdict of Kate's case had become an important call. It was important to AJ.

Telling him about Kate's case was really the first deep personal thing they'd discussed. AJ was surprisingly tight-lipped and protective of her family. He admired it, and most definitely envied it. He wasn't close to any members of his family and, in fact, fought with his parents on a regular basis. AJ's family wasn't like that. From what he could figure out about them, they were a tight-knit bunch.

Maybe it was one of the things that had drawn him to AJ in the first place. She was different. She wasn't superficial like most of the women he had been with prior to AJ. She didn't know, but in the purely clichéd fashion of a reformed bad boy, Vaughan had barely thought twice about another girl since the Christmas Party. It was a baffling concept for a man who hadn't had a steady girlfriend since his first kiss.

Because that was basically what AJ had become. She didn't really know it yet. He hadn't told her. And he had no plans to.

He had been honoured, touched and floored when AJ had told him about Kate. It had been dark, both of them wrapped in only his blankets, but she'd confided in him, not only about the case, but for the first time, about the fears she had for her sister. It wasn't until after AJ had drifted off that he buried his face in her hair and let himself pretend, even for a second, that he wasn't a coward, that he believed he was good enough for her, that he wasn't his parents' biggest disappointment.

He felt better with her.

It was a big admission to make considering who he was. He was independent Vaughan Cliff, the person who hadn't needed anyone growing up, and most certainly didn't now! Yet here he was, supposedly enjoying a Thursday night at the bar, and his only thoughts were on a woman miles away. He actually wanted to be there for her. He wanted to be sitting in a pew with her in a courtroom, watching the proceedings, helping her help her sister deal with it all. He knew AJ was strong, but he was sure even she had her breaking points.

He wanted to be there for those breaking points.

"Honestly, Cliff, if you're just going to mope about you're no use to anyone."

Vaughan belatedly realized that he'd been the center of discussion through his entire thought process. He found himself actually thankful that his glass was empty and he waved it around as he slid out of his seat. He blew out a heavy breath has he hit the bar, putting his glass down and waiting patiently.

"The usual?"

"Make it water," Vaughan requested with a slight tip of his mouth. Vaughan had met Justin at his first foray into this particular establishment and he'd been coming weekly since. No one made drinks like Justin and there wasn't a person on campus who would argue that.

"Water? You? You know it's Thursday, right?"

"Yeah," Vaughan replied as he watched Justin fill up the glass.

"This isn't about that Ice Queen is it? Cliff, you have got to let her go."

"I don't, actually," Vaughan said with a smirk. His attraction to AJ wasn't news to anyone who knew him or anyone who had experienced him and AJ in the same room and they'd both shown up to this particular bar once or twice. Never together, and not since they'd started their no-strings arrangement, but it didn't surprise him that Justin had caught on.

"You dog! You nailed her!"

Vaughan almost reared back at the absolute hatred that shot through him. Two months ago, Justin's words would have simply made him smirk and laugh the laugh of a man who had it all and got it all. Now, they sparked a different thought though him. "Can it."

Justin merely raised an eyebrow.

Vaughan sighed. "She's with her sister in New York"

Justin's eyebrow merely climbed higher. His hands hadn't paused, but he did before saying, "She's it for you, isn't she?"

Vaughan blinked. Where the hell had that come from? "What?"

"You're in love with her, aren't you?" Actually, both men knew it wasn't a question, and though Vaughan had opened his mouth to deny it, his phone rang before the words could come out of his mouth. It was a good thing, since the way he dove for his phone would have completely contradicted what was about to come out of his mouth, especially since the caller ID read AJ's name.

"Hey." He hadn't realized his voice had softened.

"Hey," AJ replied. "I'm sorry, I would have called sooner but things got crazy."

"Define crazy," he said, weaving his way out of the bar and into the January air.

"There's new evidence," AJ tried to explain. "It's on Kate's side, but we probably won't get a verdict for another couple of weeks now."

"How's Kate?"

"Coping?" AJ answered, her response a question in itself. "I think we all just wish this was over."

He wished it was over, and only partially because he wanted AJ back in New Haven. "How are you?"

"Drained," she admitted. "It's hard, Vaughan."

He tamped down the overwhelming need to drive to New York, to be with her, to support her. AJ was, and almost rightfully so, scared. His past, her morals and values... they never seemed to coincide. And even if she was starting to share her life with him in bits and pieces, he didn't want to push her, scare her. Because fundamentally, Justin had been right. He'd been in love with AJ for a long time and if he hadn't believed it by the way he continued to go after her until she gave in, his complete misery and worried countenance over the last week would have convinced him of it. But convincing AJ was another story entirely, one that was going to take effort and guts.

Miles away, AJ sighed into the phone, the air coming out as a gusty cloud. She was standing outside the courthouse, her parents and the rest of her family still pacing around inside, waiting for the prosecuting lawyer to come out and talk to them, to explain what was going on. Kate was long gone – something AJ was admittedly grateful for – and she knew for a fact she never wanted to see a courthouse again.

Talking to Vaughan made her feel better. Since she'd left for New York, there hadn't been a day they hadn't talked at least twice, more likely three or four times on the phone, and definitely almost all day by text message. It was almost ridiculous. Yet, at the same time, knowing he was just at the other end of the phone was strangely comforting. They were feelings she'd been very carefully ignoring since her birthday. The book had been a better choice than jewellery or a nice dinner. AJ appreciated being wined and dined as much as the next girl, but she was sincere, genuine, down to earth... Simple. Vaughan was not simple and more than that, he had a history that made AJ a little uncomfortable. She had no guarantee that he wouldn't throw her aside when he got bored.

Still, knowing he was there, on the other end of the phone, was making it easier.

"You need a hug and a nice massage."

AJ shivered at the low, husky tone his voice had taken on, not to mention the pictures and emotions it evoked in her. "Don't tempt me."

He laughed lowly. "When you get home, Hotch, I'm going to kidnap you for the night and I'll make sure you really relax."

It was this kind of thing, this focus and attention to her, that was part of the reason she'd found her feelings deepening. He never failed to make her feel special whenever he was talking to her. They still had their bickering and teasing, but the hatred wasn't really a factor anymore.

"You have no idea how good that sounds," she said into the phone.

"It'll feel even better," he promised.

"I'm holding you to that," she told him. She looked up as Gabi put her hand on her shoulder. "I have to go."

"Okay, keep me posted."

"I will," she agreed. She hung up, looking at her phone. Gabi had stepped away and AJ sighed. She actually missed Vaughan. Her phone beeped and she looked down, immediately opening the message from Vaughan.

Just think of the massage, Hotch.

AJ smiled slightly before turning to join her family.


	21. Gabi - February

Gabi hummed to herself as she moved about Jack's apartment. It was Valentine's Day, a day that happened to coincide with MIT's reading week. So, she'd put herself in charge of dinner. She didn't get much chance to really cook for him and she took advantage of it now. When Jack visited her at MIT, he generally cooked, a way to pamper her while he was there.

She grinned, sliding the pot roast back into the oven. It was almost done, just in time. She was still grinning as Jack rounded the corner into the kitchen.

"Hi sweetheart."

Gabi accepted his kiss willingly, gasping as his cold fingers found her hips. "My God Jack! Your hands are freezing!"

Jack chuckled, removing his hands and holding them up by his head. "It's cold outside, Monkey," he pointed out. "And you know the best way to warm up is body heat."

"I refuse to be your human thermos, Hotchner," she retorted, slipping away from his hands. "Go get changed. Dinner's going to be ready soon."

He was back moments later and he wrapped his arms around her from behind. "This is nice."

"What is?" she asked, one of her hands resting on his.

"Coming home to you, knowing that you're here... It's nice," Jack replied, voice low in her ear.

Gabi chuckled, her fingers stroking over his hand and arm. "It is nice," she agreed.

"What can I help with?" he asked, slipping away from her with a long, slow kiss on her neck.

"Nothing," she replied promptly. "I'm doing this for you."

He grinned. It was Valentine's Day and she was festively dressed in jeans that fit her beautifully and a white scoopneck sweater that emphasized the creamy chocolate of her skin. She looked gorgeous and domestic and Jack knew he really could get used to it.

Which made his gift all the more special and all the more important.

Since her chemical pregnancy and it's aftermath, Jack had imagined his future with Gabi more often than he was really prepared to admit. He'd imagined it all, kids, a dog, the house, the white picket fence... The American Dream. It was a warm and fuzzy dream. He wanted it. He wanted it more than anything else. He could picture their children, picture their life together.

"Hey, you okay?"

He smiled widely, his hands rubbing up and down her arms. "I'm... perfect."

Her replying smile was wide and genuine, lighting up every one of her features.

Since Christmas and telling Jack about the pregnancy Gabi hadn't stopped thinking about actually having a child with Jack/ She had realized that day that Jack Hotchner was it. There was no one else in the world she wanted to plan a future with, no one else she wanted to grow old with, have children with. She knew he was good with kids. She wanted to see him playing soccer, holding a baby, the whole thing.

"Come on," she said softly. "Dinner's ready."

He pulled her to him, kissing her thoroughly.

"What was that for?" she asked breathlessly.

"Do I need a reason?" he replied, thumb stroking her cheek.

"No," she acquiesced. "Dinner's going to get cold."

Hours later, Gabi was curled against Jack's side, her fingers running over his chest. He caught her hand, pulling it to his mouth. She giggled.

"We never did exchange presents," she said softly.

"There's a present beyond you and homemade dinner?"

"It's nothing big," she promised, pulling herself out of bed and slipping his t-shirt over her head. She dug in her bag sitting by his closet.

She brought the gift back, climbing back into bed. Jack leaned over, pulling a car out. She smiled tremulously as she passed the box to him. Jack smiled, kissing her cheek, then her shoulder through his t-shirt.

"Stop being nervous."

Gabi smiled anxiously. "I can't. Just open it."

Sparing her the slow opening, and ignoring his own inability to have any patience in opening gifts, he pulled the paper off and read the box. "Digital photo frame?"

Gabi was blushing. "Um... More than that." Gently, she extracted it from his hands.

Jack raised an eyebrow. "I'm all for what's mine is yours but can I play with my own toys first?"

She shot him a look as she pulled the frame out and plugged it in. Then Jack understood as she handed it back to him. The frame lit up and Jack recognized the picture almost immediately. His stepmother had taken it at their annual Christmas party. Emily had caught them mid-kiss under the mistletoe. The next one was one of the ones where Gabi had taken a picture of both of them from above.

"I programmed it," she said softly. "Well, some of it. There's still plenty of room on the memory card."

Jack set the photo frame aside and pulled Gabi into his arms. He kissed her with everything he could, plundering her mouth.

"I take it you like it," Gabi replied breathlessly, her chest heaving.

He rested his forehead against her. "I love it. I love you." Gabi blushed. No matter how many times he said it, it was still extremely awe-inspiring and incredible to think that of all of the women Jack could have, he'd chosen her. "I love you too," she said in reply.

"I will never get tired of having that," he told her, rubbing his nose against hers in Eskimo kisses. Then he pulled back, keeping one hand splayed over her back as he handed her the card with a nervous smile. It wasn't anything of necessarily monetary value, but he was still nervous.

Gabi bit the inside of her cheek as she opened the envelope. The car inside was elegant in its simplicity and she opened it with shaking hands.

My dearest Gabi  
At the risk of becoming the biggest cliché, you are the light in my life. You never cease to light up my world. I have loved you, as our families often tell us, from the moment I set eyes on you. You weren't even, walking or talking and you most definitely were nowhere near as beautiful as you are now. Until Christmas, until I found out that there was a chance that we created something that could have tied us together forever, it was something I wanted more than anything. Forever, I know, is daunting, but I want you to know that there is nothing in this world that I want more than that. I love you, with absolutely everything. Everything that I am, and definitely everything I'm going to be.  
Consider this, Monkey, my absolute and solemn vow to you. Some day you and I will have it all, sweetheart. All of it. The house, the dog, the kids and the love your parents have and the love my father found with Emily.  
One day, Gabi. I promise.

There were tears streaking down her face as she looked up at Jack. He was holding a box, one hand coming up to brush at her tears.

She took the box with shaking hands and lifted the lid. Inside was an uncut key.

"What's this?" she asked breathlessly.

"This," he replied, lifting it from the box, "is our key."

She shook her head. "I still don't get it."

"You graduate in the spring," he said quietly. "You're going to need to find a place closer to the NSA." He met her gaze head on. "I want you to find it with me."

Gabi wrinkled her brow. "Well I was going to ask for your help-"

"No," Jack said, shaking his head. "Move in with me."

Gabi's jaw dropped. "Jack! Are you serious?"

"Of course I'm serious," he answered. He'd thought long and hard about it too. They'd been officially together less than a year. Initially, that had been a big worry. However, when he thought about it, he realized that it really and quite simply was solely a matter of labels. Asking Gabi on a date in August had merely been finally putting a label on their relationship. That combined with the chemical pregnancy and Jack had basically decided that he'd wasted enough time.

Her eyes were sparkling. "Of course I will," she breathed, then laughed loudly. "Yes!"


	22. AJ - February

"What do you mean there's no reservation?"

AJ sighed, fiddling with the strap of her purse. It was Valentine's Day and Vaughan had made it clear that he was going to take her out. AJ had been absolutely wired about the whole idea, but since he'd picked her up at her door, nothing had gone as planned. Even now, in one of New Haven's more upscale restaurants, AJ not only felt a little awkward that Vaughan was virtually fighting with the hostess, but she felt out of place in all of the extravagance. A gala was one thing, but this? She didn't do things this fancy.

"Do you have any idea who I...! I want to speak to your boss."

"Vaughan," AJ interrupted, stepping in then and offering a tight smile to the frazzled looking hostess. It was probably the busiest night of the year for them and the poor woman didn't need any more stress. "Relax."

"You want me to relax? AJ-"

She shook her head, surprised when Vaughan simply shut his mouth with a snap. She turned a society-appropriate smile on the hostess. "Thank you."

Then she was tugging Vaughan out of the restaurant, ignoring his stunned face, and back out into the February cold. New Haven was freezing.

"AJ, what are you doing?"

She turned and faced him, taking in the anxiety on his face. She smiled. "I figured you killing that woman wouldn't make a very good Valentine's Day."

"Blood's red. That's festive."

The shock of it made her laugh.

"Come on, Annie. I'd have had her in ten more minutes and a call to my parents."

"And I appreciate it," she agreed. "But I don't need a fancy restaurant to have a good Valentine's."

"I know that," he replied in exasperation, and AJ realized that he really did know that about her. "But I want to be able to take you out."

AJ looked at him for a moment, watching him. She'd learned a lot about Vaughan in the past couple of months. For one thing, she knew very well the playboy thing was just an act. But it was scary, because they weren't, in any way, exclusive. She knew that he could turn around and pick someone else up at the drop of a hat and she cursed herself every time the pain of that washed over her. She couldn't be falling for Vaughan Cliff. It was too dangerous. Yet here she was, in front of a very expensive New Haven restaurant and he looked a little like his puppy had just died.

"Can I ask you a question? It's kind of personal." she asked quietly, stepping closer for his warmth as much as to keep her voice low.

"Okay... Do I have to answer?"

"No," she acquiesced, "but I'd like you to."

"Shoot, Hotch."

"What does Valentine's Day mean to you?"

Even as the question came out of her mouth, the bigger part of her figured there was no way he was going to answer. Vaughan didn't do feelings outright like she did. He did little things, he spent money. She wasn't even sure he knew what Valentine's Day meant to him.

"Valentine's Day is about showing people you care about them."

AJ resisted the urge to roll her eyes at him. "Thank you, Hallmark," she retorted, but was aware enough of his discomfort with the question to let him off the hook. She tugged on his hands. "Come on."

"What are we doing?"

"We're going for a walk," AJ replied cheerfully.

Vaughan allowed his eyes trail up from her heels to her stocking-clad legs. "Like that?"

She cocked her head to the side. "I have you to keep me warm, don't I?"

"Hotch-"

But she was already tugging him along, away from the restaurant. "Walk, Cliff."

He sighed, but stopped resisting her. "I do love it when you're bossy."

She smiled up at him briefly as they wandered away. "Can I tell you what Valentine's Day means to me?"

Vaughan hesitated for a minute. AJ was a naturally sweet girl and he knew, whatever she was about to say, it was going to have a heavy emotional underpinning. He was about to get another peek into the extremely private Anna-Joy Hotchner. "Lay it on me."

"Valentine's Day isn't about the presents or the commercialization," she began. "Yeah, it's about showing someone how much you care, but it should be through something that would mean something to them, not about something too overcommercialized to really mean anything"

"AJ-"

"I know," she promised. "Money... it's your thing and it should be. But it's not mine."

"Even you like to dress up pretty, Hotch," Vaughan argued. "And, might I say, you do dress up nice."

AJ felt herself blush red. "You haven't even seen this dress."

"I find it difficult to believe you could be anything less than beautiful," he answered.

She snorted. "Yeah...I'll let you keep believing that."

"Oh ho!" he exclaimed, wrapping his arm around her shoulders. "There sounds like there's a story there."

AJ rolled her eyes. "Any photo evidence is quite safely with my parents, so you will never get your hands on them."

"I think you're underestimating me, Hotch," he taunted. "But none of this has solved our Valentine's dilemma."

"Well, I have an idea, but you're going to have to let go of your decision to spend a ridiculous amount of money on my dinner."

Vaughan paused. "On one condition."

"I'm listening."

"I get a rain check on this fancy dinner," he negotiated.

AJ tried not to react to the idea that he was pencilling in a future date. "Can I put a condition on your condition?"

"What?" he asked, laughingly. "You're kidding!"

"Nope," she replied, voice and face dead serious. "I have a condition to put on your condition."

"Okay..."

"It can't be for a special occasion," she replied promptly.

Vaughan arched an eyebrow. "Seriously?"

AJ nodded. "No birthdays, holidays or anniversaries."

"You drive a hard bargain, Hotch," he said after a moment, swinging her around in front of him. "But you've got yourself a deal."

She held out a hand seriously. "Shake on it."

"I have a better idea," Vaughan disagreed pulling her closer, wrapping his arms around her back. He leaned down and kissed her until her toes curled and her head went fuzzy.

"Sealed with a kiss?" she panted as they separated. "Keep that up and I'm going to start thinking you're a romantic." She pulled on his hand, not letting him reply before urging him along. "Come on. I'm hungry."

Vaughan had to admit for the first time, his Valentine's Day hadn't been about showering a woman with gifts, an expensive dinner, or even candlelight. Instead, AJ had dragged him back to her empty apartment. Once they'd gotten there, she'd kissed him and told him to take off his shoes, but to leave on his suit. She'd shed her coat, exposing a red dress with thick straps that hugged AJ to her hips. The skirt flared out from there and looked satin. He'd been speechless and she'd blushed just shades lighter than her dress.

From there, she'd dragged him into the kitchen and put him to work. They'd cooked dinner together and he hadn't fully realized how incredibly comfortable and domestic the actions were until he was helping her move the food to the tablecloth AJ had spread across the living room floor in front of the couch. They'd eaten a simple dinner in a picnic on the floor, the only light in the room from an old black and white movie she'd slipped into the DVD player. It was unconventional, but sweet and quiet and so very AJ. Much to Vaughan's surprise, it was a Valentine's Day celebration that he'd enjoyed more than any other year. A big part of that was definitely the company.

Now, that company was curled up against his side and he smiled. He hadn't been a cuddler with his clothes on, but AJ, he'd discovered, was exactly that.

"I do have a present for you, you know," he murmured into her hair.

"I assumed you did," she answered with quiet laughter. "Though I feel like I should tell you that you really shouldn't have." But she also understood what gift-giving meant to Vaughan. He was a material person, someone who preferred to show how much he cared with gifts and spending money.

He squeezed her to his side, then eased her out of the way so he could go get her gift from his coat. The box he brought back wasn't small, but it wasn't particularly big either. "Happy Valentine's Day."

AJ cursed herself for her shaking hands as she took the box. Her present for Vaughan was in two parts, one material, wrapped in paper, the other... Well, she was nervous for that one. She pulled her attention back to the box. The paper she removed quickly, revealing black velvet, the giveaway that it was jewellery.

"I promise it won't bite," he told her softly.

It was only the fact that AJ was chewing her lip that kept her from gasping when she opened the box. It was a necklace, the pendant a tiny heart.

"It's a ruby," he told her softly.

AJ felt her heart constrict. Ruby was her favourite gem, a response to a ruby necklace her mother owned that AJ had coveted since she was a child. "Vaughan..."

He reached for the box, pulling the necklace out and guiding her up. He turned her around and AJ caught on quickly, lifting her hair. Vaughan clasped the necklace around her neck and pressed a kiss to the back of her neck. AJ shivered as her hand came up to touch the pendant. She turned, and kissed him, slow and sweet. She was smiling brilliantly when she pulled away.

"I have something for you too." She reached into her purse, pulling out her own little box and handing it to him. "It's a two part present, so you open that, and I'll be right back."

Vaughan watched her leave, her hand still at her pendant. He was curious about what she was doing, and debated following her. But his curiosity got the better of him and he took to the package, withdrawing from it a gift card to a golf store he loved. He was actually a big fan of golfing.

"Annie?"

"Mmhmm?"

He looked up, not realizing that she was back in the room. His breath caught. There was plenty of skin covered just conservatively enough by red fabric and lace.

"Well, hello, Miss Hotchner."

She laughed slightly, uncomfortably. She was nervous.

Vaughan made his way towards her, his eyes taking in each gorgeous piece of flawless skin. "This is the second part of my present?"

AJ smiled shyly, her fingers sliding along her bra strap. "Do you like it?"

"I liked the first part," he replied. "This... this is something I can't refuse."

With that, he kissed her and AJ let him sweep her into his arms and carry her back to her bedroom.


	23. Kate - Feburary

Kate grinned widely as she pulled open the door of her dorm room. Landon stood on the other side, his hands in his pockets, a charming smile on his face.

"Well, don't you look adorable," Kate teased, leaving her door open.

Landon chuckled. "You certainly don't do too bad cleaning up yourself."

She slid her black pea coat over her white sweater, pulling her hair from beneath the collar of her coat. Her white scarf, a set with matching hat and mittens she'd gotten from her older sister for Christmas, went around her neck. The mittens went into her pockets and she pulled the hat over her hair. "You still haven't told me where we're going or what we're doing."

"It's a surprise," Landon replied, watching her grab her keys and quickly lock up.

Kate pouted. "I hate surprises."

"Tell that to someone who doesn't know you," Landon said with a snort of laughter. "I know you love surprises."

"Not today," she protested. "You've been holding this surprise over my head for two weeks!"

That much was true. Two weeks prior, Landon had told her – not asked her, but told her – that she was to keep this particular evening free. It had taken her a few days because of the high stress associated with February before she'd clued into the date. Valentine's Day. The thought had warm fuzzies spreading through her blood stream.

The warm fuzzies had been coming more often these days. Actually, they'd kind of snuck up on her, cropping up over the Christmas holidays. They'd texted and e-mailed the whole time, a couple of calls in between and each time Kate saw his name pop up, a jolt went through her body and the butterflies erupted in her stomach. He'd been such a rock through her trial and beyond and the feelings had only intensified once she returned to Julliard in January.

"You like him," Calleigh had said with a shrug when Kate had actually talked about it. "Really not a surprise."

But it had been to Kate.

"It would ruin the anticipation if I just spilled it all now," Landon pointed out, wrapping an arm around Kate's shoulders.

Kate had to bite the inside of her cheek to tamp down her blush as she allowed her arm to wrap around his back. "But I want to know."

"And you will," he reassured her. "All in good time, my dear, all in good time."

They pushed open the front doors to the dorm, and Kate shivered against the frigid New York air. Landon chuckled, pulling her closer to his side and his body heat.

"We really have to put some more meat on your bones, Kat."

Kate rolled her eyes. He'd been telling her that since they'd returned and she had long ago understood it as his way of showing he cared. "I have my mom's metabolism."

"Yeah, well. You can't stop me from trying. Hey Chuck."

Chuck was the corner hot dog vendor and an almost constant stop for both Landon and Kate. The older man considered them two of his regulars and he smiled at them as he reached for two pieces of 'street meat'. "How are you two doin'?"

"Good," Landon replied simply.

"And Katie-Girl! He finally get up the courage to ask you out?" Chuck asked.

Kate blushed

"Something like that," Landon replied.

Kate felt her heart fall slightly. He wasn't saying 'no', but he wasn't saying 'yes' either. "He won't tell me what my surprise is," she pouted.

"Valentine's surprise?" Chuck raised an eyebrow. "You sure it's not a date?"

Landon shrugged.

"So what'll it be kids?" the vendor inquired, swiftly and abruptly changing the subject, laughter obvious in his voice. "The usual?"

"Yes please," Kate said, her eyes lighting up. She was hungry!

"Uh... Hold the onions," Landon requested.

This time, Chuck didn't hold in his laughter. "So it is a date," he crowed.

"Just make the hot dog, Chuck," Landon groused.

A few minutes later Kate and Landon were sitting on the steps of the Lincoln Center, each of them picking at the hot dogs they were eating. Eventually, their conversation and laughter died down and they fell quiet.

"Hey Kat?" Landon asked after a few moments of content quiet.

She looked up at him, her eyes still sparkling from the laughter. "Hm?"

"Can I ask you something?"

"Of course," she replied without thinking, taking the last bite of her hot dog and crumpling the foil.

"Um..." He sighed. "About what Chuck said..."

Kate felt her stomach tie itself in knots, then drop. She laughed awkwardly. "Don't worry about it."

"No! Kat, no," Landon scrambled, running a hand though his hair. "Gah, this isn't... I didn't want to put any pressure on you."

"Pressure on me?" she asked in confusion.

He was back to playing with the wrapper of his hot dog. "Um..." He glanced up at her. "Look, Kat... I like you. A lot. But with everything that happened last semester... I didn't – and I don't – want to push you into something."

Kate chewed her lip for a moment, twisting her garbage between her fingers. "What if I told you that you weren't pushing?" she asked softly.

Landon paused. "Um... Then I'd tell you that Chuck said what I want tonight to be."

She looked at him, eyes serious. "You're not pushing, Landon."

"I'm not?"

"No," Kate said, shaking her head. "It wouldn't be pushing. I... I like you too."

Landon's face lit up like the proverbial light bulb. He reached into his pocket and withdrew a program. "Happy Valentine's Day."

Kate's brow wrinkled. "A program? For Phantom of the Opera?"

"I have a friend, who has a friend, who's doing me a favour," he explained cryptically.

"What does that mean?"

Landon looked down at his watch. "Come on. Or we're going to be late!"

Kate all but stumbled out of the theatre hours later, unsure of what to say or do. Landon had done the unbelievable. His friend of a friend turned out to work for the production and had allowed both Kate and Landon to watch from backstage. Kate had been utterly beside herself since the opening notes. It was her favourite musical; she'd seen it upwards of six times and knew the soundtrack by heart. She clung to Landon's arm as they walked away from the theatre.

"So?" he asked her quietly, tugging her closer. He hadn't stopped touching her all night.

"I..." Kate began, then closed her mouth. She opened it and closed it a few more times before finally managing to breathe out, "I don't know what to say."

He chuckled. "I take it I did good then?"

"This... Landon this is..." She shook her head. "Unbelievable."

"Better than a fancy dinner and actual seats?"

"So much better," she promised.

They walked back to Juilliard in amicable silence, Kate still in shock and Landon still basking in the fact that he'd done so well in planning Valentine's Day. It was what he'd wanted, all of it. Everything from finding out his feelings weren't one-sided to her reaction to the program and the performance. Now, there was only one thing left. He'd decided long ago that he'd let Kate kiss him, just in case she wasn't ready. Because he'd discovered in the last month that he'd wait for Kate to be settled again. They spent enough time together that he knew it was pretty much assumed they were dating and he'd been prepared to wait until she was ready to date.

They stopped outside Kate's door and she unlocked it, letting the door swing open slightly. Then she turned back to him, chewing her lip.

"What is it?" he asked quietly.

She stepped closer. "I had a really, really good time tonight."

"Oh?"

Kate nodded, then leaned up and gently, sweetly, pressed her mouth to his. It was a sweet, simple first kiss and Landon's eyes slid open languidly. He watched her suck her bottom lip into her mouth shyly.

"Thank you."

His hand ghosted down her arm. "Anytime."

Kate stepped into her room and closed the door. Landon let a wide grin stretch across his face.

Best Valentine's ever.


	24. AJ - March

AJ chewed her lip as she lounged on her bed. She should be writing papers, should be stressing about exams, but she couldn't make her mind focus on anything. Well, that wasn't true. It was more that her mind was fixated on one thing:

Vaughan Cliff.

Summer was coming, creeping up on her faster than she wanted, and AJ realized she'd be going home. She had no idea what Vaughan's plans were and she, really, had no utter or dire need to know. At least, that was what she told herself. It didn't matter what Vaughan was doing anyway. They weren't together exclusively, they just… meshed well. And it didn't matter that she'd been the one he'd taken out for Valentine's or that she – and she'd heard he – wasn't seeing anyone else. They weren't official.

Which meant she had to make a decision. Well, one of them did, anyway, and she would bet her entire college tuition that it was going to be her.

If she was truly honest with herself, they'd been skirting around the idea of exclusively dating since Christmas, since she'd kissed him. At the time, no strings had been her only choice because she wasn't going to get mixed up with a man like Vaughan. He was to unpredictable, and Hotchners couldn't do unpredictable. Or so she'd thought.

It turned out a lot differently than she'd anticipated. Instead of the no strings arrangement working for her, it was starting to drive her mad. He made her laugh, and he made her lose control, two things she hadn't realized she'd wanted until she'd started dating him. AJ's life was full of predictability and reliability and she'd learned that as unpredictable as Vaughan was, he was completely and utterly loyal.

Her sister's trial was the perfect example. He'd been there for her as she'd watched her sister recount the sexual abuse in front of absolute strangers. It had been the hardest week of her life, and she could only imagine what it felt like for Kate. When she'd returned to Yale, Vaughan had whisked her away for a Saturday of pampering and a nice but understated night out. The next morning he'd sent her home with all of her detailed notes and assignments from her classes. Since she'd spoken to her professors the weeks before about her necessary trip, it hadn't been much of a hassle for Vaughan to pick up things she may have missed.

Doing those kind of things for her wasn't something he'd have done if she was just a fling. Granted, he wasn't just a fling to her, and really, he never had been, but AJ had been more focused on getting Vaughan Cliff out of her system. Quite simply, the way she thought she knew him had been exactly what she wasn't looking for. Until it turned out to be the exact opposite.

She let out a heavy sigh. She was so confused and so conflicted. Everything she'd learned about Vaughan in the last 3 months went against everything she'd known about him for the last 3 years.

She grabbed the pillow from behind her and slammed it over her face as she screamed.

"You know, I don't see that as being all that productive."

AJ lifted the corner of the pillow to see Jessica standing in her doorway, an eyebrow in the air.

"And weren't you the one that had the freak out last week when she realized there was only, like, two weeks left of term?"

AJ groaned. "Don't remind me."

Jessica stepped into the room, moving to sit on the edge of AJs bed. "So what's going on? This is the first time in the last 3 years you've been not working like a madwoman at the library."

"It's nothing," AJ said with a sigh, fixing her eyes on the ceiling.

"That's a something tone," Jessica replied. "Vaughan?"

"I'm stupid, aren't I?"

"For getting involved with him?" Jessica asked, grabbing one of AJ's stuffed animals and plopping it in her lap. "Nah."

"I'm sorry? We are talking about the same guy right?"

Jessica shrugged. "You're good for each other."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Come on, Annie, you're not that dense," the redhead said with a roll of her eyes. "You and Vaughan… you work."

AJ couldn't stop herself from snorting. "I'm not some fairytale, Jess."

"I'm not saying you are," Jessica promised. "I've seen you guys at each other's throats. There's a reason we all keep a safe distance away. Far away." She paused. "But in the long run, that doesn't mean anything."

"Fighting?"

"You haven't been fighting recently."

That much was true. They bickered, sure, but AJ couldn't remember the last time she'd actually had a fight with Vaughan, like the drop-down-drag-outs they used to have. There were definitely things that bothered her about him, but she'd always looked at it as something she was never supposed to tell. It wasn't her right. They weren't exclusive, he wasn't actually her boyfriend, so she had no say in the matter.

Jessica flipped the stuffed animal in her hands. "Summer's coming, as much as neither of us wants to admit it."

"It is," AJ agreed. "One more year."

"So what are you going to do?"

AJ knew Jessica wasn't talking about school. She let out a heavy sigh. "I don't know," she admitted. "I mean, do I have to say something?"

Jessica pursed her lips. "I think the more accurate question would be whether you want to say something. You don't say anything and you guys go into the summer without a care in the world, including who you may hook up with over the course of the four months. And who knows, when you get back in September, things might have changed irrevocably. Are you willing to risk that?"

And that was the question AJ didn't have an answer to.


	25. Gabi - April

"What?!"

Gabi closed her eyes, gripping Jack's hand tightly. She'd known her father probably wouldn't accept the news as graciously as her mother would.

"Derek, sit."

Jack squeezed her hand and Gabi bit her cheeks against her smile. Thank God for her mother.

Derek sat, running a hand over his head. He looked to his wife. "You're okay with this?"

Penelope rolled her eyes. "Of course I'm okay with it."

"She's young!"

"She's a twenty-two-year-old MIT graduate," Penelope countered.

"Exactly!" Derek replied. "She's too young to be moving in with a guy."

"It's not just 'a guy', sweetcheeks, it's Jack. You remember him right? Son of the FBI agent you respect the most?"

"I know who Jack is," Derek was on his feet again, unable to stay seated. "She just graduated. Doesn't that mean she's just starting her life?"

"Isn't that what she's doing?" Penelope inquired in response. She sat on the couch, her legs curled beneath her and her post-dinner cup of tea in hand. Gabi and Jack had arranged to have dinner with her parents. Well, Gabi had invited Jack to dinner to spring the news on her parents that she and Jack were moving in together.

"She's a child!"

And that set Gabi off.

"She's right here," she snapped. Her parents turned her face her, Derek freezing where he stood. She blew out a breath. "Look, I wasn't looking for permission here, Daddy. Jack and I are looking for a place in Baltimore, end of story. I just wanted your support."

"Now, Princess –"

Gabi put her hand up, stalling her father's words. "It's not up for negotiation. I'm twenty-two, I've graduated, I'm starting my job soon. I'll be living in Baltimore and I'll be living with Jack. It's that simple." She sucked in a deep breath, then turned to her mother. "I'm going to get Jack to drive me to Aunt Em and Uncle Aaron's place, okay?" She glanced at her father. "I'll be back in the morning."

"Ellie-"

This time, it was Penelope who held up her hand as Gabi and Jack gathered their things. Once she was ready to leave, she went back into the living room. She hugged and kissed her mother, then turned to her father. With a sigh, she hugged him. "I love you, Daddy, but you don't get to make the choices in my life anymore."

When Derek turned back to his wife after Gabi and Jack had left, her lips were pursed and she looked extremely unimpressed. He sighed. "You think I overreacted."

"You did," she replied simply, pushing herself up. Her tea had gone cold and admittedly, she was irritated with her husband.

"You're not disturbed by this?"

"By the fact that your adult daughter wants to move in with the man she's loved her entire life?" Penelope shot back. "Of course not."

"Mama…"

Penelope sighed. "Derek, I get it, okay? She's my baby too, my little girl. But she's not the child who came crying to you when she scraped her knees on the playground. She's a grown, mature woman whom we both trust to make the decisions that will make her happy. That includes who she lives with."

"But now? Isn't it better for her to live by herself for a little bit?" Derek asked, brow wrinkling.

The blond turned, leaning against the kitchen counter. "Derek, stop," she said, unable to stop her chuckles.

Derek huffed out a breath. It was a variation on the same theme, a conversation he and Penelope had gone through a number of times since Gabi had started high school. It was extremely difficult to absorb that the woman who had left the house not ten minutes before was the same little girl to whom he told stories of dragon slayers and knights in shining armour, the same child who curled up against him for Saturday morning cartoons.

"Listen, my gorgeous hunk of overprotective love, she's an adult now. I know you want to lock her in a tower, but she's her own person. And I know there's no one else you trust more with your daughter's well being than Jack. So when Gabi gets back tomorrow, you're going to tell her that you know you overreacted and you want to support this decision. Got it?"

Derek wasn't too pleased about it, but he knew his wife was right. "Got it."

She patted his chest with a wide smile. "Good answer. Now I need a cuddle."

Derek grasped her elbow as she went to walk past, pulling her into a tight embrace. "I love you, Hot Stuff."

Penelope beamed up at him. "I love you too."

"Hey," Jack said gripping Gabi's hand over the center console of his car. They were on the road, just turning off of her street. "I'm sure everything will be fine."

Gabi squeezed his hand, a tight smile curling her mouth "Yeah."

"He's your dad, sweetheart." He pulled her hand to his mouth, one hand on the wheel. "He's always been overprotective."

"I'm not a kid, Jack," Gabi said, huffing out a breath. "I just don't understand why he keeps trying to treat me like one."

"Probably the same reason my dad always worries more about Annie and Kate than he does about me or Seth. You're Daddy's Girls, Gabs," Jack replied, as if it explained everything.

"Are you not insulted by this?" she asked. "He's basically saying he doesn't trust you."

Jack shrugged. "I know he's not aiming at me personally. Beyond the pregnancy thing…"

Gabi's eyes slid closed. It was still a painful memory.

"I know your dad trusts me," Jack continued. "He always has."

She blew out a puff of air. "I don't believe this doesn't bother you."

"We don't need permission," he reminded her. "We made this decision as two fully consenting adults."

"They're my parents," Gabi replied. "Their opinion matters."

"And your mom is talking to your dad as we speak, probably reminding him I'm a perfectly trustworthy man definitely worthy of his daughter," Jack answered calmly. "At this point, I figure I'm lucky I haven't gotten the hurt-her-and-I'll-kill-you talk." From her ensuing silence, Jack gathered his words hadn't had their intended effect. "It'll be okay."

She nodded, albeit reluctantly. Then she chewed on her lip. "Can I stay with you?"

"You're always welcome and in every other circumstances I wouldn't hesitate to say yes, but are you sure?"

"I don't care what my dad thinks," she said, though the quiet tone told Jack the exact opposite. "I just… I don't want to sleep alone."

Jack squeezed her hand, pulling it to his mouth briefly before dropping it. "Mi casa es su casa, Gabi. Always."

The next morning, Jack dropped Gabi off at her parents' house and Gabi made her way to the back patio. Her parents had their breakfast and morning coffee outside when the weather was nice enough. Her mother saw her first, leaning over to kiss her father's cheek before heading back into the house, leaving father and daughter alone. Gabi poured her coffee first, taking a seat at the table.

"Good morning," her father greeted warily.

Gabi added cream to her coffee, stirring it and taking a sip before meeting his gaze. "Daddy," she said softly. "We need to talk."

Derek passed the fruit bowl across the table to his daughter, watching her carefully.

"I know that I'm your first and only daughter," Gabi began. "I know I'm your little girl, but we need to come to a consensus and we need to do it now because this has to be the last time you question my decisions."

"I'm listening," Derek replied, sipping his own cup.

"I'm not a little girl, Dad. I'm twenty-two with my undergraduate degree and starting my career."

"I' know," Derek answered. "And I'm proud of you. We're all proud of you."

The young woman leaned forward on the table. "Jack and I are happy together and I want to move in with him," she said. Then she paused before continuing, "Jack is my best friend. I love him, and someday.." Gabi couldn't stop the smile that started sliding over her face. It was wide and bright and made her eyes glass over with scenes of a future with Jack. "I'm going to marry that boy someday, Daddy."

Derek watched her carefully. "You really love him?"

"Yes," Gabi responded.

"And this is something you really want to do?"

"We've been talking about it for months," Gabi agreed.

Derek waited a moment, watching her face. "You have my support, Princess."

Gabi smiled, wide and bright. "That's all I was asking for."

The two of them settled into breakfast, falling into a more regular routine and splitting the paper. Even Penelope came back out to join them, sensing the settling of the earthquake.

"Hey Dad," Gabi started as she speared a piece of fruit in front of her."

"Yeah?"

Her eyes were completely innocent as she looked up at him. "Does your support mean you'll help us move?"


	26. AJ - April

AJ's heart slammed against her chest as she turned into the mile-long driveway of the Cliff estate. Aunt Penelope had been more than happy to do a quick look up of the place when she hadn't been able to find it in the yellow pages. Hours ago, she'd been sitting on the back porch of her parents' house with her family when it had hit her:

She wanted Vaughan to be there.

But with their no strings relationship and because she'd not said anything meant that it wasn't something she could ask of him. They weren't exclusive and AJ really wasn't sure she wanted to face the questions her family was more than likely to ask. The pull of wanting him to meet and spend time with her family was strong enough for her to make her excuses to her parents, climb in the car and make the trip up the east coast.

She forced herself to take deep breaths as she methodically turned off the car and climbed out. She carefully measured her steps to the front door. She was nervous, really nervous. If Vaughan turned her down, she was going to look both desperate and pathetic, two things she really didn't want to be around a guy like Vaughan Cliff.

"Can I help you?"

A well-dressed woman had answered the door and AJ jumped having been lost too deeply in her own thoughts. She drew on her genetic predisposition for an impenetrable poker face as she smiled. "Hi. Um... I'm looking for Vaughan Cliff?

"Are you a friend?" the woman asked.

"Um... Yeah," AJ agreed.

The woman moved back, waving AJ in. "I'm Tenley Cliff, Vaughan's mother."

"AJ," she replied. "I mean... Anna-Joy. Hotchner."

"I know your parents," Tenley said with a welcoming smile. "Is that where you met my son?"

"It is," AJ agreed. "We, um, also go to school together. He's in some of my classes."

Tenley closed the door. "Vaughan's upstairs in his room. You're welcome to go up."

"Thank you," AJ replied, following Tenley's arm towards the stairs.

"It's the third door on the left."

AJ paused at the top of the stairs, sucking in a deep breath. She started off down the hall, habitually straightening her shirt before knocking on the door briskly.

"Mother, I don't want to go to the club," Vaughan's voice called back.

"It's not your mom," she replied, eyes darting up and down the doorframe.

The door opened a few minutes later and Vaughan's gaze met hers, sending a spike of lust through her body.

"No," he said warmly. "You most certainly are not my mother. To what do I owe the pleasure, Hotch?"

She steeled her nerves. "I can't do this anymore."

"Do what?" he asked in confusion.

AJ took a deep breath as she looked up at him. "I can't do no strings anymore," she whispered, her hands coming up to rest on his chest. "I want more."

"Oh thank God," Vaughan replied finally, wrapping her up in his arms. AJ had enough time to squeak before he was kissing her, devouring her, holding her body as close to his as was physically possible. Finally, he pulled away, both of them breathless as he cupped her face in his hands. There was an awe in his eyes, an appreciation and emotion in his face that actually made AJ stop breathing.

"Annie… I didn't think this… I never expected…" An odd sound whooshed out of his mouth and he was kissing her again before she could ask for any clarification. Her brain was swirling, mind foggy as she tried to simultaneously drown in the feeling of Vaughan and puzzle out what he was trying to tell her. If she had to guess from his actions she was leaning towards positive. The rest of her thoughts scattered with the wind when his hand snuck under her blouse, stretching over the bottom of her spine.

She arched into his body, one of her own hands burrowing into his hair as she kissed him back ferociously. He pulled her back further into his room, kicking the door closed before using it as leverage to lift her into his arms. She squeaked into their kiss as Vaughan made his way to his bed, laying her across the black comforter and rolling over her. AJ flipped them as he leaned over her, straddling his hips, smiling down at him as her thumb brushed over his bottom lip.

"I take it you want to add strings then?" she breathed.

"Hotch, I've wanted strings since your sister's trial," he admitted. Then they were kissing again, his hands sliding her hair elastic out of her dark hair. He flipped them over again, settling more fully against her before moving his attention to her cheeks, her nose, her jaw. It was as he was trailing kisses down her neck that AJ spoke.

"I want you to meet my parents."

Vaughan paused, then raised his head to meet her gaze. "Annie, I've already met your parents, remember? Christmas?"

AJ rolled her eyes, her arms still wrapped around Vaughan's neck. "Yeah, as a pain in my ass." She looked away briefly, then turned her eyes back. "I want them to meet you as my boyfriend."

"There's a difference?" Vaughan asked, wrinkling his nose in distaste.

"Between a pain in my ass and a boyfriend? Not if you ask my mother," she agreed reluctantly. "But this time you'll be coming to my parents' place. Jack will try and be all parole officer intimidating, but if you get on Gabi's good side his opinion really won't matter. Daddy will have his gun... the question becomes how much of my family would you like to meet at once?"

Vaughan swallowed. "You're terrifying me."

"I know," she said, trying to stay cheerful. "But I have a few aunts and uncles, well, surrogate aunts and uncles that are going to want to meet and talk to you."

"We just agreed to try this dating thing long term!" he exclaimed with a smile. "When did you introduce your last boyfriend to your parents?"

"Two years after we started dating, but that was something different. He was picking me up from prom and he was the very first boy I brought home. My Daddy's a little overprotective."

"Because that makes me feel so much better about meeting your parents."

She laughed and leaned up to kiss him. She pulled back when her head started to spin. "There's a barbeque next month for Nate's birthday."

"Nate?" Vaughan's brow wrinkled.

AJ shook her head. "My cousin. But... You should come. You can meet my parents then. Kate's bringing her boyfriend so you'll have a buffer."

"Vaughan?"

Vaughan grimaced above AJ, then pushed himself off the bed. "Yes Mother?"

AJ scrambled towards the adjoining bathroom, throwing her hair back up into its presentable ponytail and straightening her clothes. She heard Vaughan open the door and his mother's voice get stronger. She rolled her eyes at herself before stepping back out into the bedroom. She blushed when Vaughan held out his hand for her with a smile, immediately snuggling her into his side.

"Mother, I'd like you to meet my girlfriend."


	27. FBI Family - May

"Christopher Morgan get down out of that tree!"

Emily and JJ laughed at the shrill sound of Penelope's voice. The blond shook her head in exasperation, hands perched on her hips as her eagle eyes watched her son climb down from the tree.

"That child is going to be the death of me," she said, sitting back down in the chair between her two best friends.

"Kate was my climber," Emily revealed. "Then she fell and jammed her two front teeth into her gums."

All three of them shivered.

Emily sighed, a wide smile stretching her mouth as she turned to the two women who were as good as sisters. "Did you ever thing we'd be here?"

"Oh no, gumdrop," Penelope protested with a laugh. "I'm not going down that road."

"I'm not reflecting on my life," Emily promised. "Just the past year. With Gabi's miscarriage and Kate's abuse… It's been kind of a rough year."

"We made it through," JJ replied with a shrug. "Like we always do."

Their eyes turned to JJ`s back door as Gabi and Jack came through. Emily and Penelope exchanged a look as the chorus of greetings rose from the gathered family. Now they were just waiting on AJ and Kate.

After Gabi's miscarriage at Christmas, there had been some serious doubt about her relationship with Jack. A miscarriage when you were married was difficult enough, but when you were just starting out after graduation without the stability of a career, a house... they weren't sure Gabi and Jack were going to make it through intact.

"Hey Mama," Gabi greeted, pressing a kiss to her mother's cheek before moving on to her aunts. "Annie's not here yet?"

"She was in New Haven last night," Emily revealed. "She said Vaughan was going to pick her up and drive them down here."

"Gabi!" Calleigh called across the lawn where she was sitting under a tree with her youngest brother. "We need a judge and tie breaker."

Gabi rolled her eyes, turning to JJ. "Trivia contest again?"

JJ shrugged. "Probably."

Gabi sighed before heading off across the lawn.

"You know, I still can't figure out how my daughter has so much trivia stored up in her head," Penelope revealed, relaxing back and closing her eyes against the warm May sun.

"Oh for goodness sakes, you're not going to get shot!"

Every eye turned towards the door at the exasperated yell. AJ stepped through the back door, Vaughan on her heels. She glanced around before pointing at the men. "Look, no one's carrying their guns, not even Jack. You're perfectly safe, you big baby."

"Hey, hey, hey!" Jack piped up. "It's not like Aunt Jen and Uncle Spencer's guns aren't nearby!"

"Can it!" AJ called, her hand linking with Vaughan's as she pulled him over to her mother and aunts. "If I see one gun out of any of you, you're going to be sorry!"

Emily chuckled, standing to wrap her eldest in a tight hug. "Hi sweetheart."

"Hey Mom," AJ said with a sigh. "Our entire conversation on the way here was about whether Vaughan was going to be shot." She stepped back, close enough that their shoulders touched. "I kept trying to explain that we don't bring guns to family functions."

"I can go change the safe code, if you want," JJ offered.

"Jack only pretends to know the safe code," AJ replied with a roll of her eyes. "And the next dangerous person to Jack is you. And Uncle Spencer's afraid of you so he won't open the safe for anyone."

"You sound like you thought this through," Penelope said approvingly.

"Of course I did. I want Vaughan to come out of this in one piece. I have to make sure no one can get at a weapon," AJ agreed, tilting her head to smile up at Vaughan.

"There's still a few hours for someone to change their minds," Vaughan argued, leaning down and pressing a quick kiss to AJ's mouth.

Emily's face softened. She was glad to see AJ looking so content.

"Hey Annie!"

AJ grinned, stepping away from Vaughan to wrap her arms around her brother. "Where's your girl?"

Seth shrugged. "Didn't work out."

"Huh. Sorry," AJ replied.

Her brother shrugged, then turned to Vaughan. "You play soccer?"

"I can," Vaughan replied.

"We need a fourth for even teams and Cal won't stop her little game with Eric. You in?"

Vaughan looked down to AJ, then back to her brother with a shrug. "Sure."

AJ stopped him for a moment. "Did you want something to drink?"

He kissed her head. "Whatever you're having is good."

Emily couldn't help shaking her head as they separated, AJ heading towards the cooler against the house, Vaughan off with Seth to play soccer.

"God, they're already like a married couple," Penelope said shaking her head in disbelief.

"And Gabs and Jack were any different?" JJ pointed out.

"AJ and Vaughan have been doing this for three years," Emily revealed, reaching over to pull another chair up for her daughter. "I think that's more than enough time to establish some sort of bickering."

"Honey, I'm home!"

All eyes went to the door again as Kate's sing-song voice floated over the lawn, Landon close behind her. Emily couldn't help but smile.

"She's well-adjusted," Penelope commented.

"Yeah," Emily agreed happily. "They passed down the verdict yesterday. Guilty on all counts."

"That's good," JJ said. "I hear murder's still illegal and I wouldn't want Hotch to get into trouble because he forgot all of his training."

The women chuckled. Emily watched happily as Landon followed Kate over to where the husbands had gathered along with Jack, introducing him around before making her way to her mother and aunts. Hugs were passed around before Kate too was off to socialize with the rest of her family.

"They look... happy," Penelope said, watching as Jack separated from the discussion with the men to make his way towards Gabi. Calleigh had stopped the trivia tournament in favour of soccer and thus, Kate had joined in. AJ and Landon stood talking just off to the side, keeping an eye on the game that was developing into quite the rousing match.

"Who's happy, Mama?"

"Our kids," Penelope answered, allowing her husband to wrap his arms loosely around her waist. "They all look happy."

"They do," JJ agreed, reaching out for Spencer's hand as he followed Derek. Aaron was close behind.

Emily linked her hand with her husband's, looking up quizzically at his slight frown. "Don't tell me you're going to be a party pooper," she said, pushing herself up on her toes to kiss his cheek. "They're happy, Aaron."

"Landon I like because I know he's going to be there for Kate. He's proven that," Aaron explained. "And Gabi, well, she's already as good as a daughter to me."

"You sure this has nothing to do with the fact that AJ's your oldest girl, Hotch?" Derek asked with a slight smirk. It wiped from his face quickly when Penelope jabbed an elbow into his stomach, just hard enough to make him wince.

"He's an unknown entity," Aaron griped.

"But he's not some sort of murderous sociopath," Emily responded with a chuckle at Aaron's characteristic overprotectiveness. "If AJ says he's a good man, then he's a good man. You have to trust her judgment."

"He's a Cliff, you know," Aaron retorted.

Emily's lips pressed together slightly. She hadn't wanted the rich and pampered life for her children, at least not the way Vaughan had been raised. The Hotchners weren't paupers, but they certainly didn't live in a mansion like Emily knew the Cliffs did. She just hoped that his family life was stable enough that he could support her first born. And if it wasn't, well, she certainly hoped if he was going to be around longer than a couple of months he would learn how to lean on AJ's family.

Emily smiled as she thought about it. They really were a family, whether by blood or by friendship and in all cases, it didn't matter how they knew each other, if they were biologically related or not. What mattered was that despite the things they'd been through, despite the trials and tribulations that had brought them to this point, they'd all made it in one piece and with all relationships healthy and intact.

Her smile widened as Aaron wrapped his arm around her. They were all together. They all loved each other. They were all a family. It was her dream come true, her fairy tale and she was living it.

It was perfect.


End file.
